Loyalty
by Mossnose173
Summary: Sequel to "Take Me With You." What will the team do when their newest member, a teenage girl named Riley, gets into some trouble? Will they be able to get her back in time before it's too late to save her and themselves?
1. Prologue

**So this is the sequel to my first story "Take Me With You" which introduced the characters and gave a little backstory. Now the action is really going to happen! Sorry it has taken so long to upload this story! I've been super busy the last two days and the system wasn't working earlier. Anyway, this is the second story about Riley and WARNING: There are violent scenes about torture and murder in this story so if you are sensitive to violent material you are forewarned. Now sit back and enjoy!**

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"You know what I just thought of?" Riley pondered aloud.

"How bad it is when someone ends a sentence with a preposition?" Reid joked.

"Ha ha ha, no. Seriously though, I think Mars should be a flat planet but, instead it has mountains. The planet is practically dead; therefore convection currents aren't circulating in the mantle so plates aren't pushing together to create earthquakes that form mountains and other landforms. Since nothing is being created, all the mountains should erode down and the whole planet would become flat," Riley explained.

"True, but there are no forces like rain, wind, or sunlight on Mars like there is here. Without those agents there is no erosion," Reid countered.

Riley froze in her tracks immediately and looked at him with fake disbelief. "Man, I hate it when you disprove my theories like that!" she replied. "This is like the 4th time today!"

"It's hard not to disprove theories like that," he said with a wicked grin.

"Ohhh, look who's making the good comebacks now. I think I'm starting to rub off on you, Reid," she said sarcastically giving Reid a playful shove. "Alright let's keep going, I have to get back and finish my homework."

Reid and Riley continued on their routine walk. It became a habit for the pair to go on long walks after most cases; it was like a stress relief for them. They had just returned from a case in Lexington, Kentucky. A man began setting fires to public buildings all over the city. Luckily, the team caught him just as he was about to set the local courthouse ablaze.

The strolling pair walked a round trip of D.C every time; keeping a long, leisurely pace good for conversation. Once they would get into great topics there was no stopping or distracting them. These intense conversations, as fun as they were, created the downfall to this perfect afternoon.

Meanwhile in the street adjacent to them a van with two men lay in the shadows, waiting for the right moment. The man in the driver's seat was toned; he looked like he frequented the gym, but there was a look in his eye. He didn't want to be here, he feared for his life or another's and that fear kept him here. The man in the passenger seat was of medium build, he had no muscular prowess like his accomplice, but he was larger than the average man. None of that truly mattered though, he could be any size he wanted; as long as he maintained the respect he thought he deserved.

"Start the car. You know what to do," the man in the passenger seat commanded, his voice chilling and icy.

"Yes, sir," the driver replied as he starts the engine. The passenger stepped out of the van wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a dark gray sweatshirt with the hood up. The van slowly crept out of the alley and drove off, leaving the other man standing at the nearest street light with his cell phone at his ear.

Reid and Riley took a quick glance at the inconspicuous man across the street and continued their walk. For a moment Riley wondered what that man was thinking and feeling, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. That's exactly the reason she's where she was. She was always reading into people, but this man seemed too unimportant for her to profile. She was too preoccupied in her conversation to care enough anyway.

The man at the light crossed the street ahead of the pair's path and turned to walk toward them. As he did so, the man widened his stride and quickened his pace. They were within feet of each other when the man carried out his keen plan. As fast and efficient as a bullet, the man walked by Riley, grabbed her, and put his arm around her neck; restricting her movements. He took out a pistol and pointed it to her head, threatening Reid.

Along with the hood, this man wore dark tinted sunglasses, making him completely unrecognizable. Instinctively Reid pulled out his own gun and timidly pointed it at his challenger.

As they stood in this short face-off, everyone frozen to their place, a van pulled up alongside them. The driver stepped out, leaving the vehicle on, and walked up to the group.

"Drop the gun!" the newcomer ordered in a deep, commanding voice. The two men are dressed in the same, disguised manner- hoods and sunglasses.

Reid looked at Riley and saw his concern reflected in her eyes. They were out powered and had no way to control this situation. Neither knew what would happen if Reid cooperated, but what they did know was obvious; if he didn't put the gun down there would be serious consequences.

Reid knew he had to put it down, but doubt clouded his judgment, filling his mind with questions. _What's going to happen to me after I put the gun down? Will they shoot me? Will they take me with them?_ The most important question racing through his mind wasn't about him though, it was about the person in real danger; Riley. _What will they do with her when no one is trying to stop them? _Reid hated this feeling of vulnerability. He faced it all his life and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I said drop the gun!" the man's voice boomed. Reid felt useless once again as he lowered his gun to the ground and gave up his last chance of protecting her; his friend.

After bending down to drop the gun, Reid stood up with his hands in the air to indicate his surrender.

"Put your hands behind your back and get down on your knees," the man behind Riley spoke. His voice was the complete opposite of his partners, soft and smooth like butter, but it still had an unspoken force that was hypnotizing.

As Reid did as he was told, the man behind Riley, the man clearly in charge, directed his partner to take the lone gun off the ground. He cooperated of course and placed the gun in the side of his pants. The man then walked to the back of the van, opened the door, went inside, and returned soon after with a long strip of rope. After taking an approving look from his partner, the second man walked over to Reid and pushed him to the closest street sign.

Riley ducked her head and looked away from the scene in front of her. She knew what was going to happen, there was nothing she could do; or was there? An idea emerged in her mind and she thought it was a decent plan. Even if it didn't work it couldn't worsen her position. She had nothing to lose.

Riley shifted her gaze away from the sidewalk below her to the base of the street sign. The second hooded man had Reid kneeling in front of the street sign, facing Riley and her captor. His hands were bound with rope behind the post. By the looks of the rope, there was definitely no way he could get out on his own.

The next binding Reid endured was across his mouth; ensuring there would be no shouting for help. The second man then worked his way in front and, after taking an encouraging nod from his partner, took swing after swing at the defenseless agent. A thin trickle of blood could be seen coming from his mouth through the rope that bound him.

As the man was going in for another swing Riley stopped him, "Stop it! You have me and I think you've proven a point." She spat the words out like they were poison. She couldn't see Reid suffer for her.

The second man looked back at his companion for a command. The leader nodded and moved his head toward the back of the van. The second in command walked to the back, pulled a smaller piece of rope out, walked toward Riley, and tied her hands behind her back as well. Riley glared at the man but he wouldn't meet her eye.

The initial captor then began slowly shoving Riley toward the back of the van, still holding her at gun point. As she was walking away from Reid, Riley looked back at him with a gleam of defiance in her eyes and a smirk upon her face. Reid met her eyes with more concern; he had no clue what she was about to do but knowing her, he knew it couldn't be good.

Riley continued her walk without protest until she was almost inside the belly of the beast. She sat down on the ground right in front of her captors. She assumed the man behind her would put his gun away to pull her up to her feet and she would have a chance to fight back. She was badly mistaken.

Instead of returning his gun to the holster, the man kept it pointed toward Riley's head. With his free hand he shoved her skull down to the pavement and ground it into the hot, rough cement below.

As she struggled under his grasp he spoke forcefully to her, "Don't be defiant, girl. It won't help you later on."

With that said he yanked her up with one arm and tossed her into the back of the van. The blonde man slammed the doors and walked back onto the sidewalk with his partner following his every move.

"Let me see his gun," The dominant man ordered.

"Why? You have your own gun," his partner stated.

"Don't question me! Just do as I say!"

The second man pulled Reid's gun out and handed it to his partner delicately. He put his own gun away and looked at Reid's intently. He cocked it and aimed it at his accomplice.

"What are you doing?" he cried. "You need me!"

"Not anymore."

Bang! The gun fired and a body dropped to the sidewalk. The shooter threw the gun at the ground in front of Reid, "Here, you can have this back now." The vile man walked to the driver's seat of the van and sped away.

Reid stared in horror as the van vanished behind numerous buildings. His wrists stung from where he had struggled viciously to help his fallen friend. The whole scene happened so quickly. Riley sat down and was soon shoved closer to the ground by her assailant. From there he slid her head on the road until he finished speaking. As he pulled her up, blood oozed from the side of her head. Small stones and other dirt and debris clung to the gooey fluids, plastering everything closer to her skull. Reid winced as it happened, it looked so dreadfully painful. After that affliction, the blonde man turned and shot his own partner.

The van was long gone when Reid finished reminiscing about his recent predicament. The words that cruel man said rung in Reid's mind, "_Don't be defiant girl. It won't help you later on." What did he mean by that? What is he going to do to her? Will he kill her?_ Grim, dark thoughts consumed his imagination.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Reid assessed his situation. There was nothing he could do to save her now; she was long gone. He was stuck to the pole as a great companion was being taken to her demise. _I've failed her!_ He thought to himself. _I'll never be able to do anything right._ He hung his head in shame as he waited for someone to come by and help; if anyone would.

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	2. Chapter 1

_Almost there. Just a little bit farther. _Clink! Reid's phone fell to the sidewalk and made a metallic clinking noise as it hit the hard pavement. He had been working at wiggling the phone out of his front pants pocket ever since the van left. Finally it fell to his side and he maneuvered himself around the pole so his hands could touch the phone. Reid thought of who he could possibly contact. _Hotch? No, I'm sure he's busy with his son. Seaver? No, she couldn't handle this job anymore and quit months ago. Prentiss or J.J? They both joined our unit when Seaver left; but J.J has her son, Henry, to think about and Prentiss lives 23 minutes away from here. Rossi? Maybe. Morgan? I think Morgan is the best option right now. And he does live closest to here._

Reid feels the buttons and types up a message,

** Morgan I need your help. Come to Westbrook alley A.S.A.P. **

He hit send and waited for a reply. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes seemed to turn to hours until finally Reid's phone buzzed like a bumblebee finding a fresh, new flower. He turned himself around the pole to read the message. Morgan replied,

**Reid it's like 9:30! What is so important that I have to come to one of the most deserted parts of the city at this time of night?**

He turned himself back around to reach the phone with his hands. With difficulty, Reid typed,

** Just come please. It's really hard to explain right now. **

More time passed as Reid waited for another reply. _He's probably considering this. I just hope he trusts me enough to come. _Another buzz caught Reid's attention.

** I'll be there in 5.**

He breathed a muffled sigh of relief behind the rope binding, tilted his head back to hit the cool, sleek metal pole, and closed his eyes to think. _Morgan said that it was close to 9:30. Riley and I left for our walk at about 5:00. We had been walking for about 30 minutes when the man appeared. He was here for about 5 minutes; therefore he left at about 5:35. It seems dubious that he was driving that whole time so if he drove for like half of that, it would be 1 hour and 57 minutes on the road. And say he was driving the normal city speed limit of 30- he didn't want to draw attention to himself- then he would have traveled a little less than 60 miles. He headed north and if he stayed in that direction, and if my math is right, he would be in the Maryland area. What could be in Maryland?_

A car door slammed behind Reid. "Damn Reid, what happened!?" Reid opened his eyes and turned his head to look behind him. Morgan walked over to Reid but stopped in his tracks when he noticed the dead body on the sidewalk. He stood staring until muffled noises from the pole distract him.

"Sorry Reid," he said as he walked toward his teammate, taking a pocket knife out of his right pocket. Morgan saw panic in Reid's eyes as he cut the mouth binding first. It fell to the ground as he moved down to the base of the pole where Reid's hands were. Several drops of blood littered the pavement below his hands. He cut the rope and inspected Reid's wrists for a brief moment before Reid pulled away. Deep lacerations bled steadily around his wrists.

"What happened here, man? What's going on?" Morgan asked.

Reid sighed. His eyes showed an unspeakable sorrow as he retold his story. "Riley and I were walking, as we always do after a case, and we were comparing the Russian space program to N.A.S.A when this guy walked by us and grabbed Riley. I pulled out my gun of course, but the guy held her in front of him and there was no way I could get a shot off without risking Riley's life. Then a van pulled up alongside the sidewalk and another guy got out of it. They told me to put my gun done and I did because I didn't want either of us to get hurt. The new guy took my gun and put it in his pocket as he got rope out of the back of the van. He tied me to this pole the way you found me, and tied Riley's hands behind her back. Then the guy came back over to me and hit me a few times until Riley yelled and broke it up. They started shoving her toward the van but she did something really weird. She sat down at the guy's feet. I personally figured he would put the gun away and pick her up, which I guess that's what she was thinking too…"

"Focus Reid, what did the guy do after Riley sat down?"

"Sorry. Umm, he kept the gun in his hand and with his other hand he shoved her head to the pavement and said 'Don't be defiant girl. It won't help you later on.' Then he picked her up and threw her into the back of the van and shut the doors. Oh it was terrible Morgan! The blood was _gushing_ down the side of her head and rocks and stuff were sticking to it. It just looked so… agonizing."

Morgan crouched down to Reid's level and spoke again, "Okay Reid, that's good, but what about the man over there? Who is he?"

Reid looked back and saw the body lying on the sidewalk. He brought his hands up to his forehead and closed his eyes and remembered, "That was the next worse part. The first man, the man who grabbed Riley, took my gun from his partner and shot him, point blank. Then he tossed the gun on the ground at me and drove away. He left at about 5:35 and he was northbound so I'm guessing he might be somewhere in Maryland." Reid opened his eyes and looked at Morgan expecting a response.

"You've been here for four hours and you haven't contacted me until now?" Morgan said.

"Really? That's what you got out of that story? It took me this long because I was tied to a pole and it took me that long to get my phone out of my pocket!" Reid uttered. "Why are you focusing on that anyway? We have to go find Riley! She's in serious danger!"

"OK! OK! Reid! Man calm down. . ."

"Calm down? Morgan, how can I calm down when Riley was taken right before my eyes?!" He closed his eyes again as the memory of her capture replayed in his mind.

"They took her. They took her and I couldn't do anything to stop them," Reid muttered to himself. Warm, salty tears cascaded down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes tighter, willing them to stop but they continued flowing like a never ending waterfall of grief.

"Reid, listen to me," Morgan said, trying to get Reid's attention. He gripped his partner's shoulder tightly and spoke, "Reid, it's going to be alright. We will find her. Remember that. I'm going to help you find her. You understand me?"

"You will?"

"Of course I will. But…"

"Then what are we sitting around here for? Let's go look for her!" Reid exclaimed as he stood up in front of Morgan. He swayed slightly from being in that position for so long.

Morgan got up just as fast and held Reid steady as he got his bearings. Morgan spoke to him as he regained his balance, "But first we're going to the hospital to get you checked out."

"But . . ."

"No buts. You are going to the hospital and that's final. You're a mess right now, you need medical attention," Morgan interjected. "Let me take a look at you."

He tilted Reid's chin upward to check for wounds. Bruising covered his left cheek while a small cut obscured his bottom lip. Swelling was beginning to appear around his nose but other than that his face looked normal.

"Okay, now let me see your wrists," he instructed.

Reid didn't move a muscle.

"The longer this takes the longer it is until we can start looking. And I don't know about you, but I really want to find Riley," Morgan said.

Reid looked at him for a few moments, deciding whether he should retaliate after being treated like a child or not. Reid kept his mouth shut and held out his wrists. Morgan took one arm in his hand and turned it over and over. He moved onto the next arm and did the same.

"Those are some deep lacerations that just won't stop bleeding. We need to go to the hospital to get them bandaged up. Come on."

"I'm not going anywhere unless we're looking for Riley," Reid stated bluntly, as he wiped the last of the tears from his cheeks.

"Well we're not looking for Riley until you get checked out," Morgan returned.

"If you won't help me then I'll do it myself." Reid began walking northward, picked up his gun, and continued until he passed the body lying on the sidewalk. He stopped, turned, and spoke coldly, "You might want to do something about him." With that, Reid continued on his mission.

"Reid man, wait!" Morgan called after the departing man. He chased Reid down and stood in front of him, stopping him from taking another step.

Reid kept his gaze down at the sidewalk as he commanded, "Get out of my way."

"No. Think about what you're doing. Is it smart?"

"I want to find Riley! I need to go now to find her!"

"Think about yourself, Reid! You're a wreck; what good are you to Riley when you cut up, bloody, and have no resources to help you find her!"

Reid glanced up as Morgan looked him up and down. Pain, loss, and sorrow filled Reid's eyes. He was torn inside; he's lost one of the most significant people in his life. Life for him couldn't go on without her.

_I need to find her_, Reid thought. _That should be my first priority. But maybe Morgan's right I should help myself first. By helping myself I can help her more. I am beat up and exhausted, I can't do Riley much good now. Morgan was right all along! I've wasted all this time being so narrow minded!_

"I've been a fool!" Reid said aloud. He brought his hand up to rub his forehead and closed his eyes in realization.

"We all make bad decisions, kid. You just have to fix them," Morgan encouraged.

Reid nodded and followed Morgan back to his car. They drove silently to the hospital where Reid was given some Advil and bandages for his wrists. While Reid was busy, Morgan told a nurse about the body and she sent an ambulance to the address right away. With the immediate problems solved, Morgan sat down outside Reid's exam room and took his turn thinking.

He put his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead in his hands. _What am I going to do? Reid won't rest until we find Riley, but when will that be? How are we supposed to find her? We only have an idea of where she is. This is impossible; we don't even know why she was taken! Well, if the kidnapper wants a ransom or information he will contact us. Hopefully he will contact us soon; I don't know how long Reid will be able to hold out like this._ Morgan sighed and remained in his bowed position until Reid was done. _What can we do now? _Morgan thought to himself as he watched an exhausted Reid walk out of the room.

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**As always, feel free to give feedback! More to come soon!**


	3. Chapter 2

**So here's the next chapter! I know the last chapter was a little boring with Reid making decisions so I decided to liven this story up a little bit with Riley's situation. Warning: there is violence in this chapter so use caution if sensitive to this material but it's nothing you wouldn't see on the show. Not yet at least ;) Feel free to enjoy! Follows, favorites, and feedback always welcome! Thank you to those who have favorited and followed already ^_^.**

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Cold, damp rags surrounded her. The smell of bleach burned her nostrils as she lies on the wet, smelly towels in the back of the van. Her head was pounding as blood seeped from the gash along her head. Even with the threat of the driver looming over her, Riley could still think of a sly remark about her situation.

"Why do you need this much bleach, man? I won't hurt you that bad," she said with a laugh.

The man chuckled himself and replied, "Hurting me is the last thing you're going to be thinking about soon."

"I'll tell you what, if you let me go now we can avoid either of us getting hurt. Sound fair to you?"

The man laughed harder, "I don't think you're in a position to be making a deal with me. Unless of course you tell me what I want to hear."

"And what would that be?"

"You know exactly what I want. I want the information you were supposed to give me months ago."

"Uhhh, I've been busy."

"Yeah, busy avoiding me!" The man bellowed. "If you just tell me what I want to hear you can go back to that wimpy boy and finish your scenic walk of the city or whatever it is that you do; or we can do this the long, hard way."

Breathing a sigh of relief, knowing Reid wasn't the one who received the bullet from the gunshot she heard just before the van pulled away, Riley ignored the insolent put-down and replied to his threat, "You wouldn't hurt me."

"You wanna try me?"

Riley hesitated before replying, "Yeah I do. You need this information like a drugee needs his crack and right now I'm your dealer. You can't get rid of your dealer now; you'll lose your supply."

"Very smart you are Riley."

"That's why you came to me in the first place, isn't it?"

He chuckled slightly, "True; very true. But what if I get a new 'dealer', as you say?"

"There are no other dealers out there like me," she says with a hint of arrogance.

"Getting cocky are we? We'll see who has the power of knowledge when we get there."

"Get where?" Riley asked subtly, hoping he would tell her.

The man chuckled again, "You'll see when we get there. I can't ruin the surprise."

"Can't wait," Riley said sarcastically on the outside, but on the inside she was dying to know. Safely concealed in her sweatshirt pocket was her cell phone, her way of contacting her saviors; and with the knowledge of her location, they would have a better chance of finding her. Riley wiggled and squirmed, as silently as possible to try and get it out. But the task was made difficult because her hands were still tied behind her back.

"Why won't it come out?" she whispered to herself as she continued to struggle in the back.

"Looking for this?" The man held up a blue phone so Riley could identify it as her own.

"How did you know I had that?!"

"What teenage girl doesn't carry her cell phone everywhere she goes? It's just a matter of finding it. While you were unconscious I checked your pockets and found it," he said. Even without seeing his face, Riley knew he was grinning in self-satisfaction.

"Now what are you going to do with it?"Riley challenged.

The grin was wiped off the man's face as he hesitated before finally saying, "I'm going to turn it off of course, then your little friends from the F.B.I can't track it."

"Well why not just throw it out the window? Then I will have no way of getting it back, turning it on, and contacting somebody."

"Yeah, you're right! Good idea," he said as he opened the window and threw it out into the passing scenery. Of course he would listen to her; he's used to following her.

Riley chuckled to herself as quietly as possible. She won this one. _He didn't turn it off at all, _she thought to herself. _Now I just have to trust Reid will think to track it; if he's able to track it; who knows where we are now, hopefully there's service._

She calmed down and relaxed in the mound of rags. As she lied there alone, helpless, powerless; she thought about everything that was going wrong. _I shouldn't be here! I should have given him the information months ago. But I couldn't betray Reid and the team like that; I just couldn't. I can't tell him anything I know. I know too much now. I can only imagine what he would do if he knew all I do. No matter what he does to me I will not tell him; I will take these secrets to my grave._

Riley closed her eyes and drifted into an anxious sleep. _I will do whatever it takes to keep these secrets safe._

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Cement walls surrounded Riley as she awoke. The cement floor felt like a block of ice; cold and lifeless. The air was chilled, almost to the temperature of the floor. _Where am I? _was the first question that came to her mind. _Is this like a giant freezer? No, there's no food or anything frozen, just a wooden chair in the middle of the room. Where could I be?_

Bang! Screeeeech. A large, metal door opened to the right of Riley. The man entered the room and walked over toward Riley- who was sitting with her knees brought up to her chest, her hands were still tied behind her back- in the corner of the icy room. He had his hood down and sunglasses removed so Riley could see his face; but of course, she didn't need to, she already knew who this man was.

"Here's your chance, Riley. Tell me what you know or it will get ugly." The man threatened as he towered over the defenseless Riley. Even though he was not as large as his recent partner, he still has an advantage over this teenage girl.

Riley looked up at him, put on her sweetest smile, and responded, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The man did not find her games as amusing as she. He gripped the front of her sweatshirt with anger and lifted her entire body off the floor. She squirmed in his grasp but did not cry out. Her lack of reaction angered him more; he wanted to frighten her. He carried her over to the wooden chair and threw her down in it. The chair was bolted to the cement floor and felt as hard as a wall as Riley was forced into it.

"This is your last chance for peace, Riley. Take it or leave it."

_Say nothing._ "I think I'm gonna leave it," she said with an overconfident smile.

"If you say so," he returned with a truly wicked grin. He wound up and punched her square in the jaw.

Riley laughed and jeered, "If that's all you got, then you might as well let me go now because this is just a waste of my time."

Another blow went to Riley's face and blood trickled down her lip. "Still nothing."

Bones crush as his fist breaks her nose. Blood gushed out of her nostrils and the taste of iron filled Riley's mouth as she struggled to breath through it.

"Had enough yet, kid? Going to tell me what I want?" the man asked.

"I won't tell you anything," she replied while spitting out blood. Her amusement and cockiness faded and was replaced with anger and resentment towards this man. This man she knew so well. Why didn't she see this coming?

A hard hit to the cheek sent Riley sprawling to the floor. She hit her head and closed her eyes. _Oh Reid, find me soon. Please._ Subconsciously Riley heard the laugh of an evil man and the clink of a metal door. Even after the metal door closed, she could hear his every movement. 13 steps straight down the hallway and the opening of another metal door didn't interest her mind; the half yelling, half crying sound of another person caught Riley's attention. _Wait, I know that voice. It's…it's…_ Riley slipped into unconsciousness…


	4. Chapter 3

**Next chapter! This one mainly involves the friendship and companionship that Reid and Morgan have. Because I really like their friendship in the show I wanted to throw some into my story. There will be more Riley soon! So enjoy and feel free to leave some feedback!**

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Reid walked out of the room looking as agitated as he went in. Morgan stood up as he walked toward him. "How you feelin' Reid?" he asked once Reid was standing in front of him. Reid was looking everywhere but at his friend.

"I've been better," Reid retorted quickly.

"What's wrong with you, man? You can't look at me and your standing like someone's going to pop out and attack you."

"That's because someone did pop out and attack me, about five hours ago to be exact! And because of that Riley is gone!"

"Reid!" Morgan grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "This isn't your fault! Stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done; there was nothing anyone could have done!"

Reid shook him off and screamed, "I just can't believe there's nothing I could have done. I should have done something!Anything!"

"Well thinking back on it now and hating yourself for it isn't going to help! You want to find Riley right? Then do something now! Something other than self-loathing!" Morgan yelled the words hoping they would get through his thick skull and stick this time.

By now, the pair had attracted the attention of all eyes in the room. Reid was still steaming over the argument and didn't notice the spectators. Morgan on the other hand was well aware of them and did not like the attention. He smiled shyly at the crowd, threw his arm around Reid's neck, and walked toward the exit with him.

"Just relax. We are drawing a little too much attention to ourselves," Morgan whispered to Reid as they headed to the exit.

Reid looked around at the gawking bystanders and didn't speak. He showed no emotion as he left with Morgan grasping his neck like a hunter bringing in his prize buck.

Once outside, Reid couldn't stand being man-handled anymore and pushed Morgan away. Morgan put his hands in the air‒to show he wasn't going to do anything‒ and talked slowly to his companion. "Reid, listen I want to give you the choice this time. Here are your options: number one, we go look for Riley ourselves right now; at 10:30 at night. Number two, we can call the team now, at 10:30 at night when everyone is probably asleep, to go look for her. Or number three, we go home, rest, and call the team in the morning when everyone is refreshed. Think really hard about this. Think about your decision before you came to the hospital. Think about Riley! Yes, she's been taken, but only a few hours ago. I'm sure she's fine; she's strong and smart, she can last on her own for awhile. Do what's best for her."

Reid looked at Morgan, not showing any hint of his decision, and thought about what he said. _We should go find her now! But should we call the team? Morgan's right, they are probably sleeping. It's going to be really hard to find Riley if we don't have help. I have to try though, right? No, I don't have to try now. I should sleep; I've been up for hours. And Morgan deserves to sleep too; he's been with me for hours. We should go home, sleep, and regroup in the morning. That's what we should do; that's what we will do._

"Let's go," Reid says to Morgan as he walks toward the parking lot.

"What are we doing Reid?" Morgan asks.

"I'm going to my house and you're going to your house and we are both getting some sleep so we will have a better chance of finding Riley, tomorrow." He answered without looking back at Morgan.

"Are you sure about this? You don't want to change your mind again do you?" Morgan said with a smirk as he trailed behind his partner.

As Reid walked toward the car, he put his hands in his pockets and felt something. Something rectangular and rubbery, but with a smooth, glassy side. He stopped where he was and pulled the foreign object out to inspect it. Out of his pocket came Riley's iPod. _How did this get here? Riley must have slipped it in before she was taken!_

Morgan walked up to stand beside Reid as he was looking over his discovery. "Is that Riley's iPod?"

"Yeah, it-it was in my pocket. She must have stuck it in here before she was taken," Reid looked at Morgan in shock. "What if she knew she was going to be taken?! It makes sense that if you know you're going to be taken you would leave something behind."

"Ok, so why leave this behind?"

Reid was forced back into a memory from months before. It was a warm, sunny day in August in D.C. Reid and Riley were taking another walk around the city when there was a muted chime coming from Riley's pocket.

"What's that?" Reid asked as the passed a coffee shop.

Riley pulled out her iPod, touched the screen a few times, and secured it back in her pocket. "Oh, it's just my iPod. A friend of mine posted something on my Facebook wall."

"Facebook?"

"Really? You're a walking computer but you have no idea what Facebook is?" She shook her head in mock disbelief. "Then again, this isn't so surprising for someone who's afraid of technology."

"I am not afraid of technology! I just don't find it as necessary as others do."

"Pssh, ok." Riley rolled her eyes and finished, "Some people need the technology. For instance, my whole life is on this thing." She took out her iPod once again and displayed it like the Hope Diamond...

" 'My whole life is on this thing'," Reid repeated slowly as he looked down at the device in his hand.

"What are you talking about Reid?" Morgan questioned as the other stared at the object. He had been in a daze for minutes as he remembered the importance of the object he now possessed.

"Riley said her whole life was on this thing. What if there's information about her abductor on here?"

Morgan replied with less enthusiasm than Reid, "I guess there could be. It's worth a try. We can have Garcia look through it tomorrow."

"Alright, but until then I'm going to play around with it a little myself. See what the big deal about these things is."

Morgan got to the car, unlocked it, and the two men got in and drove away from the hospital. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Morgan broke this tangible silence, "I am going to change our plans a little bit though."

"What are you going to change?" Reid asked with a puzzled expression sketched on his face. He was preoccupied with staring down at the iPod in his lap, trying to figure out how to turn it on.

"We are going home. But we are both going to your place. I am not leaving you alone, Reid."

"Morgan I'll be fine. It's like you said earlier, no one's going to get me now; they took Riley."

"Oh I'm not too worried about that."

"I'm not going to go out and try and find her myself! That would just be stupid of me; of course I would never find her alone."

"I wasn't too worried about that either." Morgan replied with a little smile.

Reid was even more confused than before; he ran out of reasons why Morgan would want to stay with him. Reid slipped the iPod into his pocket, after several failed attempts, and looked over to Morgan, "Then why are you staying with me?"

"I think you need a friend right now and I'll be there for you, kid." Morgan said giving Reid a sincere look.

Reid stared at the bandaged wrists in his lap while he replied with a crooked smile, "Thanks Morgan."

The pair remained silent the rest of the ride home. It was a relaxed silence; the tension between the two dissolved after that exchange and the ten minute ride to Reid's felt shorter.

Morgan pulled the black SUV into the driveway behind Reid's baby blue Buick. Morgan and Reid got out of the car and Morgan criticized, "isn't it about time you got rid of that girl car, man? It's practically prehistoric now."

"It's vintage!" Reid said in his own defense.

"No, it was vintage a decade ago. Now, I don't even know what you would call it!"

"You call it classic. End of discussion," Reid returned with a jocular retort, understanding that Morgan was simply messing around.

Morgan laughed heartily and Reid joined in as the pair walked toward the house. Darkness surrounded the home and pillaged the rooms inside as if it knew there was something ghastly about the events of the day. The house was stoic; from its eggshell white shutters to it's plain white siding. A two story home that had no landscaping, just a concrete sidewalk leading from the driveway to the front door steps.

Once inside the dark home, Reid walked to the nearest light, flipped the switch, and light flooded into the room. Morgan entered after him and took in his surroundings. To his left, Morgan saw a leather couch, a very small T.V., a coffee table littered with books and papers, two side tables on each side of the couch, and two bookshelves with every shelf filled with thick books. To the right was a large wooden staircase with white wood railing. Straight ahead was a narrow hallway, Morgan assumed the kitchen was at the end of the corridor.

Morgan walked further into the house, shut the door, and asked Reid if he had a guest room.

"No, sorry. I don't usually anticipate guests so I made that second room into a sort of library."

"That's alright, man. I can sleep on your couch," Morgan replied. He walked over to the leather couch and noticed a light blanket and a pillow already there. They weren't neatly folded but rather in disarray.

"Ummm, Reid? Do you like to sleep on your couch often?" Morgan asked with a little concern.

Reid ran his hand through his hair, walked to stand behind the couch, and said, "No. Ummm, you see, Riley has been sleeping here some nights. Like when she doesn't want to go back to her foster home she comes and sleeps here. She said if she gets home after 11 at night they don't let her in so I leave my door unlocked for her to come and sleep."

"How long has this been going on?" Morgan questioned.

"Well, I noticed her being here about two months after she moved here."

"Noticed her?"

"Yeah, apparently she was coming here, without my knowing for weeks before I caught her. I would drop her off at her foster home, watch her walk into the house, or so it seemed, and I would drive away. But, she would secretly follow me, sneak in through the back door, sleep on the couch, wake up before me, and leave how she came in. It was pretty smart of her; she must have known I wouldn't mind. I really didn't so when I woke up early one day and saw her laying here; I let her stay and told her it was O.K." He got a distant look in his eyes as they started to water. He continued, "I told her everything was O.K, but right now, everything isn't O.K., it's the opposite of O.K. it's…"

"Reid, stop doing this to yourself! Just go to bed, alright?" Morgan advised directing him toward the stairs.

Reid kept the distant look in his eyes as he involuntarily climbed the stairs and went to his room. Morgan let out a long sigh of relief as he flopped down on the couch. He stretched out, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes; hoping sleep would come to him.


	5. Chapter 4

**Next chapter here! Wanted to get back to some Riley so violà! Warning: there is violence in this chapter! Thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! Keep it up! :)**

* * *

New temperature; new room. As Riley awoke, she found herself warmer than before. She opened her eyes to a larger room with more objects than just a wooden chair. The floor and walls were the same dull gray, but what frightened Riley wasn't the walls; it was the objects on the walls. Torture tools from every time period and every culture hung from the walls, and chains draped from the ceiling at one side of the room. A small furnace sat at the far side of the room; Riley stared at the glowing flame for a moment before looking away to the weapons around her.

Metal and wooden bats, hammers, chainsaws, and a crowbar hung in one row. Whips, knives, and swords took up another. Smaller pieces of metal in different forms took up yet another row. To her dismay, Riley saw a whole other wall full of weapons she couldn't identify. _Nothing. Tell him nothing._ Riley repeated to herself as she timidly looked around the room._He's just trying to intimidate you. Don't fall for it; he won't use any of these. He's bluffing._

Déjà vu hit Riley as a creaking sound interrupted her encouraging thoughts. The man walked into the room with a wide grin slapped to his face.

"You like my collection?" he asked with arrogance.

"I'm not scared."

"Awww, I wouldn't expect you to be, Riley," He walked toward her, crouched in front of her, and sneered, "Not yet at least."

She sat there as still as rock, refusing to show any emotion under his threat.

"Not talking are we? Well, I think I can change that." He got out of his crouched position and walked out the door leaving it ajar. Riley watched him as he left and listened as he turned on a water faucet, let it run for a few seconds, and turned the faucet back off. The man entered the room with two wet rags. He set them down in the middle of the room and walked over to lock the door again.

Riley had no idea about what he planned to do with the two rags as he strolled over and looked down at her.

"Still not talking?"

She looked up at him and kept her mouth shut tight.

"Have it your way." The man grabbed Riley's legs and dragged her to the center of the room next to the rags.

"What are you going to do?" She broke her silence.

"I'm surprised you don't know. Haven't you learned how to read people's minds by now? That is what your 'friends' do; haven't you been doing as I said?" He retaliated using something Riley didn't want to talk about- her connection to this man. As he spoke, he walked over to the wall of weapons and pulled a blowtorch off the wall.

"I have learned from them, but it wasn't for you," Riley replied simply as she watched him.

He walked back to her, "So you're saying you do know what I'm talking about? Because before you said you had no clue what I was talking about."

Riley did not reply to this. Her insubordination was noticed and the man smiled impious. He bent down to grab the rags with his free hand and inched toward Riley. She glared at him as he came to kneel beside her legs.

"You can end this now, Riley. Just tell me what I want to know. I know you know what I'm talking about."

Silence answered the heinous man. He greeted it by tying one of the rags around Riley's knee and the other around her ankle. "Now, this might hurt a bit, girl. Just scream it out alright? And be sure to tell me when you've had enough and want to tell me what I want to hear, alright?"

Riley's eyes widened as the flame illuminated the room. The flare touched Riley's shin and she whimpered in pain as her skin became hotter and hotter. _Don't cry. Don't scream. That's what he wants. It will be over soon; hang on. _Riley bit her tongue so she wouldn't make a sound as the fire destroyed the bottom of her jeans and charred her skin. She clenched her teeth; the heat was unbearable. She couldn't take it anymore; with her free leg, Riley kicked the man,; he fell on his back and the blowtorch was knocked free of his grasp.

Anger surged through the man as he sat up and grabbed the torch. He wanted to burn her more and teach her a lesson but he turned it off. He needed her alive. He tossed the torch to the side and grabbed Riley by the back of her sweatshirt. She squirmed in his grasp but didn't get anywhere. He dragged her over to the side of the room where chains dangled from the ceiling. The man cut the rope off Riley's hands and brought her hands up to lock them in the chains. Riley faced the wall, hanging about two feet off the ground.

The man returned to the wall of weapons and picked out a long, leather whip. He walked back to Riley, stood behind her, and cracked the whip. She flinched at the sound and the man finally got the physical response he was looking for; now time for the response he really wanted."Come on Riley. Just tell me."

"I will never tell you," she growled.

He gripped the whip tightly and swung it at her back. She clenched her teeth again. Snap! Snap! Bloody gashes began to appear on Riley's back. Crack! Whoosh!

A droopy Riley repeated, "I won't tell you anything."

"Awe has someone become attached to her little friends?" he taunted. "You weren't brought here to make friends!" He sent another strike to her back. "You were sent to bring me their weaknesses!"

"I changed my mind. I won't tell you."

"Maybe you just don't know."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But you'll never know."

"You are very loyal to them, Riley. I would congratulate you on your loyalty; if it were to me. But seeing that it's not…" Three more lashes to her back.

"I learned back in Ohio where my true loyalties should lie. My time here has only reaffirmed those ideas. I know what you did, I see you for what you truly are- a monster! I would rather die loyal to them than live loyal to you!" she spat drowsily as her eyes began to close from exhaustion.

"You may have it your way." The man said as he gave Riley two more snaps. She was too exhausted to do anything but hang there like a limp noodle. The man threw the whip down and walked over to her to whisper in her ear, "But remember Riley, I. Am. God." He undid her chains and let her flaccid body fall to the floor.

The monster walked out of the room and locked the door behind him. Riley was engulfed in pain, exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. "Please hurry, Reid. I'm begging you," she whispered to herself.


	6. Chapter 5

**Next chapter here! Back to Reid and the agents, hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! Much appreciated!**

* * *

The smell of fresh brewed coffee woke Reid up. He jumped out of bed not knowing what time it was, and raced downstairs wearing the same clothes he wore the day before. Once down the stairs, he looked to the leather couch and found no one laying there. "Morgan?!" he called out with a hint of panic in his voice. The worst idea came to him, _What if he's been taken too?_

"In here, Reid!" Morgan called from the kitchen.

Reid let out a deep breath and calmly walked through the hallway into the kitchen. Morgan was standing at the counter with two cups of coffee. He had a sly look as Reid walked in.

"'Bout time you woke up sleeping beauty," Morgan greeted.

"What time is it?"

"8:30."

"8:30! How long have you been up? We should have called the team and we should be looking for Riley right now! Why didn't you wake me up sooner!?" Reid exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Reid, calm down, man. Everything is under control. I've been up since like 7:30. I didn't wake you because I knew you needed sleep after what happened yesterday."

"You should have woken me up sooner! I will sleep in when we find Riley; until then I can't waste time sleeping. We have to go look for her now!"

"Hey hey calm down, Reid. Listen to me, I already called the rest of the team. I told them the whole story and they're going to help find her. We're meeting them at the Roadside Diner in," he took a moment to look at his watch, "30 minutes. So, you better get ready, sounds like you have a long day ahead of you."

Reid nodded slowly and looked down at the two cups on the table. He grabbed the fuller cup, took a sip, and walked upstairs with it. From downstairs, Morgan could hear him walk into the bathroom, turn the shower on, and wash for five minutes. Reid was back downstairs within another 10 minutes freshly cleaned and clothed, and with a mug that was as empty and dry as the Sahara desert. He set the mug on the counter and looked at Morgan.

"You ready to go? The sooner we leave the sooner we can find Riley."

Morgan finished his coffee and got up to follow Reid out of the house. The pair walked through the door and Reid looked back with indecision. He didn't know whether he should lock it or keep it unlocked, as it always was. Longing tugged at his heart; the longing to go back 24 hours when he knew he would leave the door unlocked just for Riley. Reid walked away from the unlocked door, down the dull walkway, and into the black SUV that brought him to this memory trap. Clutching Riley's iPod tightly, Reid climbed into the car and didn't look back.

* * *

Everyone crammed around one booth as Reid informed them about Riley and their encounter the day before. The Roadside Diner was neither busy nor empty; there were enough people that they weren't alone but there weren't too many that anyone was sitting close enough to hear the agents' conversation. Garcia sat on the inside of the booth next to Morgan, while Rossi and Hotch sat across from them. Reid, J.J, and Prentiss pulled up chairs and sat at the end of the table. Everyone ordered a coffee as they listened to Reid.

Agent Jennifer Jareau, J.J, was a blonde haired woman in her early 30's. When Riley first met her, she could read her like an open book. She was so sweet and kind on the outside. On the inside she was a little more forceful. If any issue penetrated her outer-coating, it became a serious matter; if it was superficial, she brushed it off in an easy going way. J.J loved her job and the people she worked with, but the line of work itself didn't always appeal to her. Riley noticed something when she came to the team- there was always something driving her every day. Something driving her to do her best work, to help others, and come home safe every night. She guessed it was a child; J.J was sensitive on those kinds of cases.

Agent Emily Prentiss was a black haired woman who was a little older than J.J. Prentiss was a much harder book to read. She seemed foreign to Riley. There was something mysterious and secretive about everything she did. Her parents, or at least one of them, had a high social status. That's the main reason she's here; she's a good profiler but she wasn't originally. She's a fast learner, absorbs what her fellow agents do and say. There is something hidden about Prentiss' past that Riley just can't unlock. A major secret, a secret that could destroy her. _I can relate_, Riley thought when she figured her out.

Reid finished his story by pulling the iPod out of his pocket. "Riley slipped this in my pocket before she was taken. I don't know how and I don't know why. I haven't been able to get into it; there's a password lock on it."

"Here, let me see, sweetie," Garcia coaxed.

Reid handed her the device across the booth and returns his hands to his lap. Garcia pushed a button and a screen appeared requesting a password. Behind the password pane was the image of a professional woman's soccer player. Here purple checkered goalkeeping jersey contrasted against the back of the net as she was diving for a save. Garcia turned to Reid to ask who the player was.

"Let me see," he took the iPod and looked at the image. "I remember she mentions soccer often; especially being a goalkeeper. She said she used to be the goalie for her soccer team back in Ohio. And she liked to watch the women's national team, she got updates on her phone too! And…and there was one player she really liked but I can't remember her name…It's something like…Hailee… or … No! it's Hope! Hope Solo! Try Hope or Solo or what's her number? Zero? Try like Hope with the 'o' replaced with a zero or something like that!"

"Whoa, whoa hold your horses I can't try them all at once," Garcia said. She rapidly typed until Password Correct appeared on the screen. "The password's Solo with zeroes for 'o's."

After a quick inspection, Garcia found nothing out of the ordinary of a typical teenage girl. All apps were games, fun facts, and apps that came with the device.

"Look through the photos." Morgan suggested. "Maybe some social media, is that on there?"

"Wait a minute, I've seen this girl before." Garcia scrolled through older photos and soon recognized a reoccurring character.

"Where have you seen her before, Garcia?" Hotch spoke for the first time.

"Well…"

"What is it Penelope?" Morgan says with more kindness.

"Well, about a month or so ago, Riley asked me to look someone up for her. I know I shouldn't have done it but she really wanted to know how her friend was doing. She just wanted to see how her friend had been doing, since she moved here they haven't stayed in touch as much as Riley wanted them to," she looked at Hotch and continued with guilt in her eyes, "I'm so sorry sir, I know we aren't supposed to use resources for personal matters but I just wanted her to make her happy."

Reid didn't care about the protocol breach, he was more curious about this girl. _Riley never mentioned anyone like this to me._ "What can you tell us about this friend of hers?"

"Her name is Madison Brown. Riley calls her 'Maddy' though. She is currently enrolled at Bowdoin University in Maine. But before this, she went to the same school as Riley and was a few years ahead of her. They did the same sports, which I assume is how they met, until Maddy graduated and Riley moved here. She wants to become a history teacher and is on the basketball team there. That's all I can remember for now. I wrote some stuff down, in case Riley wanted to contact her, but I didn't get it to her. It's back in my office."

"We should definitely find this girl. If Riley thinks she is important enough to track down and talk to, she must have meant something to Riley. Maybe she knows who we're looking for," J.J suggested.

"Alright let's head back to the office and start searching," Hotch instructed as everyone gets up to leave. The crowd was filing out as Hotch pointed to Garcia to whisper, "We will talk about this later," but adds a slight wink at the end to let her know he wouldn't be too hard on her. A relieved Garcia followed the other agents out of the diner and into the signature black SUVs.

Reid hopped in the back seat of the car and relaxed fractionally. _Maybe this Maddy girl can help us. Hopefully. Hopefully she can help us._


	7. Chapter 6

**I know I just updated, but this is a really short chapter so I figured I would post it as well. I probably should have just added it to the end of the last one but oh well, here it is now! Enjoy!**

* * *

"I just feel it." Reid said.

"What does _it _feel like?" Morgan asked.

"It feels like…it feels like she needs help. It feels like we need to hurry and find her."

"I see why you feel that way, but what are we supposed to do? We don't have any leads. We don't know where she is. We don't know who took her. We don't even know why he took her! It's really hard to hurry when there's nothing to hurry." Morgan expressed his thoughts.

"There has to be something we can do!" Reid retaliated.

"There is, and we are doing it. We are going back to the office to find out more about this Maddy girl. That is the only thing we can do right now. Maybe after we talk to her we will have a lead, but until then there's nothing."

Reid tightened his face and looked out the window, effectively ending the conversation. He couldn't say anything back because he knew Morgan was right- there was nothing they can do except follow up this one lead. One measly lead. Reid shook his head. _I wish there was more I could do. I'm sorry, Riley._

* * *

The agents filed into Garcia's office and watched her manipulate all of the computers in the room to search for everything on Maddy Brown. A long period of keyboard clicking led the team to a terrible discovery. A missing person report on Maddy has been out for two days.

"She's gone too," Garcia whispered.

Morgan, who was standing against the back wall, shook his head, "This can't be a coincidence. There has to be a connection here."

"I agree. Riley and Maddy being taken within a day of each other is uncanny. The man who took Riley must have taken Maddy as well. So, we need to figure out why he would take both of them. Any ideas?" Hotch asked from behind Garcia's chair.

"Well, seeing as Maddy was taken before Riley maybe it has something to do with her." Prentiss stated.

"But why would someone take Maddy in the first place? What do we know about her?" Rossi adds.

"I've told you everything I know about her," Garcia explained. "She gets straight A's and is the perfect student!"

"What about her social life, Garcia? Is there anything about that?" Rossi asked.

"She's perfect socially too; there are numerous letters of recommendations talking about volunteering and community work that she often does on top of school work and basketball."

"This isn't about Maddy. This has to be about Riley. Think about it, it's no coincidence that a girl who is so close with a team of F.B.I agents is randomly taken," Reid said distantly. "This man took her because of what she might know, because of us."

The other agents look around the room at each other with a sudden realization. What Reid was telling them, made sense. It made so much sense it hurt them to realize. Maybe they were the reason Riley was taken; maybe they were the reason Riley's life was in danger.

"But why take Riley? Why not take one of us?" Rossi asked.

"Maybe this man saw her as a weak link, because of her age?" said Morgan.

"No. This man knew Riley, and Riley knew him. When the man was holding a gun to her head and his partner was hitting me, Riley wasn't afraid to tell them to stop. She demanded they stop, and the man in charge listened. If he didn't know her, he wouldn't have listened to what she said. He cared about what she wanted- that shows some personal connection," Reid explained.

"So this man knows Riley, we don't know how, but clearly she has a relatively close relationship with him if he listens to her demands even when he is kidnapping her. But now why take Maddy if Riley is the target?" Hotch put in.

"Leverage," Prentiss returned bluntly, "If you had one of my friends and were torturing them, I would tell you anything you wanted to hear."

"Good, but why take a friend from a college in Maine? That's a greater distance than a friend from Riley's hometown or even here." Hotch continued.

"Maddy meant a lot to Riley; take the person who means the most and you will get the most answers," Garcia answered, her eyes wide as she imagined what could be happening to the two girls as they spoke.

They all bowed their heads and stared at the floor. A day had gone by since Riley was taken and they still had nothing to help them find her or the man who took her. When they thought they were getting closer to finding her they only ended up with more questions. As time ticked by the feeling of helplessness increased; Riley was captured and there was nothing they could do to save her. They were an elite group of F.B.I. agents and there was nothing they could do to find one teenage girl; a teenage girl they had grown so close to in the last few months. The only thing they knew were the statistics about kidnappings and incentives; odds that were not in Riley's favor.


	8. Chapter 7

**Next chapter! WARNING: There is violence in this chapter... that's all I will say about it; don't want to give too much away ;) Thank you to those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed; it's much appreciated! Now sit back, read, enjoy, and feel free to favorite, follow, and review if you like! :)**

* * *

Minutes turned to hours; hours turned to days as Riley endured the tedious torture this vile man has designed for her. She lost track of time between bouts of pain and trying to recover. The pain became progressively worse; slashing, hacking, burning, whipping, and smashing became norms. No food meant no energy for her; no energy meant no way to fight back- exactly how he wants her. He wanted to keep her weak and helpless. He knew she would be able to beat him in a fight if she were healthy, and now that she wasn't he had complete advantage of her.

Even with the advantage, Riley didn't tell him anything. Whenever he asked, she remained silent, denied knowledge, or simply replied, "I won't tell you anything." She would never tell him anything about the agents; they meant the world to her. If anything happened to them Riley would feel responsible. She couldn't let anything happen to them; she wouldn't let anything happen to them. She had to protect them; these secrets were her responsibility now.

Screeeeech! The sound of the large metal door had become a warning sound for Riley. It went off at least half a dozen times a day. It warned her there's danger coming; more pain.

Riley was lying, unbound, on the cement floor. Her fingers had just been bent and broken, the bones in her left hand crushed after refusing to give up information, when she heard the door open and the man speak. He wasn't speaking to her though; she wasn't sure who he was talking to. She remained still, with her eyes closed, and listened to him.

"Hopefully you're all there by now because the show is about to begin."

With her eyes closed, Riley couldn't see his face but she knew just by hearing his voice that he was smirking as he spoke. _Is he talking to himself? It doesn't sound like anyone else is in here. Maybe if I just open my eyes a little I can see._ She opened her left eye slightly to see the man in a black ski mask holding a video camera with a wireless connector hooked to the side. She snapped her shut and thought to herself. _Okay he's talking to the camera. Who could he be streaming this to? Think, Riley! Well sorry it's hard to think about this when there are so many other things to think about right now like how not to starve or how to conserve what little water I have left in my body! Okay for real, think. The B.A.U! He's streaming this to Reid and the rest of the team to torment them. They can't find m and he's showing them what he's done to me in their absence. It's probably killing them to see me like this._

The malicious man interrupted her thoughts, "Here is your precious friend, Riley. You see agents, there's something you don't know about her…"

Riley thought up a quick plan while he taunted them. _Let's hope this works._

"…Riley here is mine."

* * *

"Morgan! Reid! Everyone, get in here!" Garcia shouted urgently.

Morgan was the first to enter Garcia's office. Reid and the rest were close behind him. "Baby girl what is it?"

Garcia was staring with a horrified expression at her main computer screen. "I, I don't know how but, but he hacked into my computer. He, he's streaming this live," she stammered through disbelief.

The agents were bees swarming around Garcia like she was a jar of honey. They all stared at the screen as the man spoke. All they could initially see was a moving corridor of concrete with a few steel doors to the sides every few steps.

"Hello agents. I've never had the pleasure of making any of your acquaintances, except for briefly meeting one of you, but you do know a person I'm… close to. Oh, don't even bother trying to track this; I've bounced it off so many towers it would take you days just to find the state I'm in. And Riley doesn't have that kind of time." He chuckled maniacally and the agents heard a loud screeching fracas as one of the steel doors opened.

"Hopefully you're all there by now because the show is about to begin," the man said but the agents weren't listening. They were more interested in what they were seeing rather than what they were hearing. The body lying on the cement floor looked half her size as she laid in a puddle of blood around her arms and head. She was facing them so they couldn't see the extent of the injuries to her back. They regarded her charred leg, her bloody head, her bruised face, her recently crushed hand, and the numerous cuts that littered her arms and abdomen. Riley's eyes were closed and her body barely moved with each breath.

Garcia put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. Morgan rested his hand on Garcia's shoulder to comfort her as he clenched his other fist, holding in his fury. Rossi and Hotch stood motionless as they watched the video. J.J and Prentiss were wide-eyed and tearful. Reid was the most awe-struck. _I let this happen. This is my fault. Why couldn't I stop them? _A warm tear rolled down his cheek.

Their thoughts and feelings were interrupted as they listened to the man, "Here is your precious Riley. You see agents, there's something you don't know about her…" He paused to feel power over them for a brief moment. The power that he knew something they didn't.

"…Riley here is mine." He continued. "She belongs to me. She wants to be with me now. Thank you for taking such good care of her while…I was away. Isn't that right, Riley?"

The man walked over to her body and nudged her with his foot. "Come on Riley. Tell them you want to be with me now. We still have a lot to talk about."

She didn't open her eyes; she didn't move a muscle.

"You…you think she…she's …dead?" Garcia asked quietly.

"No, she's still breathing," Hotch stated quickly, hoping to reassure himself as well as the rest of his team.

"Come on, Riley. Tell them." He kicked her in the stomach harder than before. Quick as a wink she grabbed his foot and twisted it while her right fist connected with his knee. The man collapsed to the ground and grunted in intense pain. The camera clattered as it hit the floor beside Riley. The agents saw everything as it went down. The man fell near her feet, she kicked him in the head quickly, grabbed the camera, and ran to the door. She slammed the door behind her and looked at the camera.

"It still works!" she exclaimed and continued to run down the hallway with it pointed at the ground. Riley heard pounding on the door behind her; she ran faster, as fast her wounded body would allow her. Wooden stairs leading upward were in her view.

She spoke directly to the agents this time, "So uh, I don't know exactly where I am. I can tell you I'm in a basement. But of course that doesn't really help. Umm I fell asleep on the way here so I don't know how far it is. Oh! That reminds me, Garcia track my cell phone; he threw it out of the van on our way here."

Garcia rolled her chair over to the next computer and furiously searched away. The rest of the agents kept their eyes trained on Riley. She reached the upstairs and strode through the living room toward the front door.

Riley pushed the door and was overwhelmed by the sunlight. She was taken aback and squinted her eyes to get used to the light. "Has it always been this bright out?" she asked trying to lighten the mood.

She became accustomed enough to walk out to the end of the walkway and onto the street sidewalk. Around her is a normal, middle-class neighborhood. Two-story, suburban homes surrounded her, each with a fence in between and walkway leading to the sidewalk. A sidewalk trailed both sides of a road that was at the center of the development. _This place seems so ordinary._ She thought to herself. _An ordinary neighborhood for a not-so-ordinary man._

Riley looked left and right trying to find a street sign; she finally spotted one across the street to the left. First, she turned to capture an image of the house. "Ok , this is the house. Yes, yes looks like a house alright." She ran down the sidewalk to stand across the street from it. "Ok, it looks like Chestnut Street. Chestnut Street! Chestnut..."

The camera fell to the concrete; Riley's body falls with it and her body began to convulse. The man stood behind her with a taser in his hand and a wicked grin on his face. The electric shocks stopped and Riley reached for the camera. She pulled it forward and spoke slow and slurred, "Chestnut Street. And Reid, don't blame yourself. This is my fault and I'm… I'm sorry."

Riley's eyes closed and the computer screen went black.

Garcia rolled her chair back to this computer and pronounced, "He turned the camera off himself."

"Garcia, find all of the Chestnut Streets within the closest 5 states. Did you find her cell phone?" Hotch wasted no time.

"Yes, sir." She said before she started the search. "There are 4 in West Virginia, 5 in Virginia, 2 in Maryland, 3 in Ohio, and 4 in Pennsylvania."

Reid moved to stand in front of the computer. "Show me where her phone was found."

Click, click, click. A blue marker shows up along a road connecting Virginia and Maryland. The two red markers in Maryland appear; one 5 miles west of the blue marker and the other 47 miles northeast of the blue marker. Reid pointed to the farthest marker. "This one," he said as he started pulling his coat on.

"Why isn't it the closer one?" J.J questioned.

"He knew we would be able to track the phone; he left it on. If he didn't want it tracked he would have turned it off. He wants us to believe he's there when really he is 52 miles away," Reid answered hurriedly. He had his coat on as he grabbed his satchel and headed for the door.

Morgan blocked his path."Slow down, Reid."

"Morgan, get out of my way. Riley needs help now."

"You're outta control, man. Think this through. Do you have a plan?"

"What?" Reid asked like he had no idea what Morgan was talking about.

"What's your plan to save Riley? Are you just going to bust the doors down and demand he give her to you. What if it's a trap to lure us to him for some reason? And anyway he just claimed her like he owns her. He'll probably protect her." Morgan tried to get Reid to calm down; he knew Reid was fired up. and out of control.

"From what I just saw, I don't think he will be protecting her. After that, I think we will be lucky to find her alive and the longer this takes the less luck we have." Reid moved around Morgan and left.

Morgan sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. Rossi walked up to him, put his hand on Morgan's shoulder, "It's not your fault Morgan. He's going to go after her no matter what anyone would say or do. All we can do is follow and help him. We'll get her back- no matter what it takes."

Rossi left the room followed by Prentiss, J.J, and Hotch. Morgan looked at Garcia who remarked, "You might as well go too, sugar. There's nothing you can do here."

He shook his head, smiled, and left the room with his hands in his pockets.


	9. Chapter 8

**Update time! I want to thank everyone for reading and I'm sorry some parts about this are unrealistic but I wrote this awhile ago and I didn't know how to adjust it without ruining the rest of the story. They probably would have checked for her phone initially and all of the agents probably would have rushed out the door with Reid right away but I wanted to show the extreme desire Reid had to find her. I intended for his character to want to get her back no matter what- I didn't want the other agents to look like dead beets, so sorry for that. But thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews! They are all greatly appreciated, keep it up!**

* * *

Click. Click. Click. Click. _What is that noise?_ Riley moved her head and felt the solid, cold floor of the basement room. She tried to use her hands to help her sit up but they were tied behind her back- she felt the thin material of string binding her hands but didn't possess the strength to tear through it. She opened her eyes to see the legs of a chair, and a hammer slowly hitting the concrete floor.

"Tap. Tap. Tap," the man said soothingly. "Doesn't it just drive you crazy? It sure does drive me crazy. Tap. Tap. Tap."

Riley returned a dull glare. She wasn't concerned with the noise; she was more interested in the object itself. A hammer. _What does a hammer do? It smashes things. Maybe he just has it out to scare me. Let's hope so._

"Awww, do you need some help up?" he smirked at Riley. The man set the hammer down on the chair and walks over to Riley. He sat her up against the wall with her legs extended out in front of her. After returning to his seat, the man grasped the hammer and lightly pounded it against the palm of his other hand.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know?" the man paused in his pounding to ask.

Silence.

The man got up to walk over and kneel beside her. He looked into her eyes, and asked again,"Are you going to tell me?" a threat looming over his words.

Riley did exactly what she always did; stare at him and not reply to his threats. She wasn't afraid. The team would be there soon to save her. Or at least she hoped they would be.

"Alright," he wound up and slammed the hammer into her right kneecap. Riley shut her eyes and closed her mouth so she didn't cry out. He swung down again. Muscles tore and bones crunched as the hammer hit her leg. A tear glided down her cheek; she shut her eyes tighter and bit her lower lip.

He stood up in rage and practically ran over to his wall of weapons. He selected a long metal object with a circular end. He stuck it in the furnace and waited.

Riley watched him as he did this._ I hope that's not what I think it is…_ Minutes went by until the man finally pulled the metal object out of the furnace. The end was as red as Rudolph's nose and smoke coming off of it like a chimney. She couldn't tell what the metal was shaped like inside the circle; she wasn't anxious to know that, she was more worrisome about where he would put it.

"You think your little friends are going to find you? Think again. They will never find you. You're all mine," he said with a sneer.

"They will find me."

"Are you sure? There are two Chestnut Streets in Maryland alone. And I dumped your phone off 5 miles away from the other one. That might make them want to check there, a street 50 miles away from here!"

"They are smarter than that. They are smarter than you," she spat.

"If they are so smart, why are you still here? This, this right here will always remind you that you belong to me, no matter what you may think; you will always belong to me. Not them- the people who can't save you."

The immoral man branded his insignia into the side of the girl's abdomen. She flinched at first but began to lose feeling. Riley sat still, holding back tears as she sent a silent plea to her team._ Find me soon. _He pulled the metal away from her skin and it felt like a sudden freezing wind current came into the room. A large, smoldering mark was left on Riley's skin. **G.O.D** will always be engraved on her body. His voice rang in her mind, "Remember Riley, I. Am. God."

She turned her head away to tune out anything he might say to her. She didn't want to hear any more lies from him. He deceived her. He played her. He _used _her. He noticed her ignoring him and decided to give her the present he's been holding her. The despicable man grinned, "I have a surprise for you, Riley. I think you will enjoy this one."

Riley continued to ignore him. She didn't want anything he had to offer anymore.

The man left the room, walked 13 steps down the hallway, and opened an identical steel door.

"No! Let me go!" a scream came out of the room.

Realization struck Riley. _I've heard that voice before. Maddy._

Maddy was pushed into Riley's chamber. Her face was bruised in places and a thin line of blood trickled from her mouth. She walked in with a limp but stopped when she saw Riley on the floor. Her eyes grew wide as she saw what pain and agony Riley had gone through.

Riley used her hands and left leg to stand herself up. Her right leg had become practically useless. Maddy rushed over to her and grabbed her arms.

"Riley! What happened? Why are we here? What's going on? Who is this man?"

So many questions; so little time. Riley opened her mouth to answer when the man chuckled from his spot in the doorway. Riley saw the grin on his face and knew he was thinking something cruel. She stepped, with difficulty, around Maddy, keeping herself between this abominable man and her friend.

"Stay away from her," Riley growled.

The man took a step closer and Riley pressed Maddy against the wall. He continued walking toward the pair until he was face to face with Riley. His grinning face was met with a death glare. "She doesn't know anything, let her go."

"You know I won't do that, Riley," he said without moving.

Riley spit in his face. He blinked slowly and returned by sending a strong punch to her face.

Maddy was horrified. She never expected to see Riley this way; weak and beaten. She placed her hands on Riley's back but removed them off when she saw the bloody gashes caused by the whip. She looked down at Riley's legs. Her left leg was blackened at the calf and there were slits along her thigh where a knife was used. Her right leg, which she wouldn't put pressure on, had similar slashes as the other but her knee was so swollen it almost looked like a bowling ball. Her arms were gashed and cut up while her left hand was swollen and crooked looking. There was a gaping wound on the side of her head; with every heartbeat, it throbbed. Maddy could tell Riley wouldn't be able to handle any more time here. _She doesn't want me to get hurt. But to what extend can she protect me?_

"Don't touch her," Riley snarled.

The man tilted his head to the side, smiled, and trailed his index finger along her cheekbone. "Tell me and no one has to get hurt."

She closed her eyes for a second, opened them, and replied calmly, "If you hurt her or touch her in any way I will never tell you anything. I will stop speaking altogether and wait for you to kill me. Do what you want to me, don't touch her."

This caught the man off guard. He withdrew his hand and took a step back. The man looked her up and down to see if she was bluffing. She wasn't- her face set in a stone-hard countenance of honesty and promise. His smile returned as he lunged forward to grab her neck and push her against the wall. Maddy moved out of the way and worked her way to an empty corner to watch from a safe distance.

The man kept a strong hold on Riley's neck as he pinned her against the concrete wall. She squirmed from discomfort and pain. Her toes barely reached the floor. He sneered in her face, "We can try it your way. Maybe I'll like it; maybe I won't." He glanced over at the girl in the corner and raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. I think she would be a fun one."

Anger rose in Riley like steam until she exploded. She snapped the string binding her hands and extended them to push against the man's face. He released his grip on her and took a few steps back. She dropped down and almost collapsed over her right side but used her left leg to catch herself. She stood tall before the man in front of her. "Don't say that," she commanded.

"Someone's a little touchy," he returned with humor.

Riley took a swing at the man and struck him across the mouth. His head turned but he didn't move. He brought it back and started rubbing his jaw as a sarcastic gesture. Of course it didn't hurt him; she had no strength left in her. Without letting her have a moment of accomplishment, he returned the favor with a punch to her face as well. His had more of an effect; Riley went falling to the floor, blood dripping from her mouth. She stayed down on her hands and knees, unable to find the strength to get back up.

The man chuckled. "You're pathetic." He gave her a kick to the stomach and she collapsed completely.

Riley looked up at him as he left the room and locked the door behind him. Her eyelids grew heavy and she started to let them win but she had another job to do. She got back up on her hands and knees, despite the throbbing pain in her abdomen. Riley tried to return to her feet, but she couldn't, she wasn't strong enough. She fell back onto her stomach.

Maddy noticed her distress and walked over to her. She sat down beside Riley and stroked her hair. "Why are you punishing yourself for me, Riley?" she asked softly. "Why are you protecting me like this?"

"This is my fault. You shouldn't get hurt for my mistakes," Riley replied, sorrow lacing her words. She wished her friend wasn't in this position. _This is all my fault. If I had just told him months ago…_

"I can take it. You don't look like you can anymore."

Riley sat up and leaned against Maddy. "I'm alright. We'll be saved soon. People are on their way now. Give it a few hours." Her eyes began to close.

Maddy smiled slightly at her optimism. She scooted back and drug Riley with her until they were both leaning against the wall. Riley kept her head resting on Maddy's shoulder. Her eyes grew shut when she realized she needed some answers.

"Maddy? When and how did you get here?"

She looked forward distantly, "I don't know how long ago it was, at least a few days. It's hard to tell in here. But I remember it was Wednesday night. I was walking back to my dorm when this guy came up to me and asked if I could help him find the campus store and when I went to show him he grabbed me, shoved me in a van, he got in the passenger seat, and some other guy drove us away. I woke up in the room down the hall and I've been there ever since."

"I was taken late Thursday afternoon. What has he done to you?" Riley asked, concerned.

"Nothing much. He hit me a few times when I asked for food. But other than that nothing."

"You were limping when you came in here."

Maddy gave her a small, nostalgic smile,"You always notice everything, don't you? I was just stiff. I was sitting in there for hours, not moving. I'm O.K I swear. I'm in much better condition than you are." She looked at the younger's legs, arms, and head, before asking,"What did he do to you?"

"Too much to describe," Riley said simply. She yawned and started to wrap up the conversation, "I'm really tired, Maddy. Mind if I use you as a pillow?"

The older girl smiled a little more. "Of course not." She leaned her head back against the wall and hoped sleep would find her as well. "Good night Riley."

"Good night Maddy. Don't worry, we'll be safe tomorrow. Bet on it."


	10. Chapter 9

**Next Chapter! Thank you all again for your favorites, follows, and reviews!**

* * *

"Get off on exit 15. Then take a right onto Washington Street," Prentiss instructed as she navigated using the iPad in her lap.

Hotchner nodded and took a sharp left turn. J.J, Prentiss, and Hotch were riding in the lead car as Rossi drove the trailing car with Morgan and Reid. Reid kept glancing at his watch, waiting for the time when he could get to the house and save Riley from a near certain death. They had been driving for 4 hours now. _How much longer is this going to take?_ He asked himself impatiently. He looked out at the changing landscape hoping to see something familiar. Nothing. _Not yet._

Morgan could sense Reid's anxiety. He wanted to say something that would reassure the other that they would find her but no words came out of his mouth. He gazed out the window as well and hoped they arrived soon

Ten minutes later, Morgan's phone buzzed. It's Hotch. Morgan opened it to speaker so everyone could hear. "We'll be there in 5. Get your vests on; we don't know how this is going to play out."

"Alright Hotch," was Morgan's only response before he hung up. Morgan reached across the back seat to grab bullet-proof vests. He handed one to Reid who snatched it out of his grasp. Morgan let it slide. The pair put their vests on now; Rossi would put his on when they got to the home. Morgan slipped a wind jacket on over his vest- he was so accustomed to wearing it, especially in the cool fall weather.

Reid saw the street sign first. Chestnut Street it read. "This is the street," he practically screamed aloud.

He and Morgan looked out the windows to spy the house. The first car passengers saw it too and pulled up at the curb on the opposite side of the street; Rossi came up behind them. The first car passengers stepped out with their vests on. Reid nearly jumped out of the passenger seat while Morgan and Rossi exited more calmly. They gathered between the two cars to talk strategy.

"Rossi, Prentiss, and J.J, you three go check out the back. Morgan, Reid, and I will try the front," Hotch instructed. "While your back there, check for the white van, and remember, we can't go in unless there's probable cause." He looked directly at Reid. Reid eluded his gaze and looked at the ground with a determined look.

The agents mobilized and moved into their positions. The first group disappeared around the side of the house while the other three crept up to the front door.

Reid was getting antsy. He couldn't stand being so close but unable to get to her. He was ready to run and find the van himself when a voice called from the side driveway. The trio ran around to see the back van door open with Rossi inside.

"There's blood in here," he called out.

"That's cause enough for me," Morgan said as he rushed around to the front of the house- Reid at his heels.

Morgan stopped in front of the door and looked at Reid. "I don't know what lies behind this door. But are you sure you can handle the worst?"

Reid didn't want to think about the worst. He wanted to find her alive, was that too much to ask for? He closed his eyes. _What if she is…dead? No, she can't be. But what if…._He opened his eyes. _I can handle it. _"Yes. Let's go."

Morgan nodded, turned toward the door, and kicked it down with pent-up force. Reid really wasn't the only one who wanted to find her alive. The door broke in half as Morgan's foot hit the center; it's Achilles heel. The pair walked into the house, ready for anything.

* * *

The all too familiar screeching noise woke her up. Her eyes snapped open as an involuntary response. _How long has it been? Is it tomorrow, or has it only been a few hours? I can't even tell _anymore. She saw the man walking into the room. He turned and locked the door behind him. Riley took a quick glance at the girl beside her, remembering the last event before she fell asleep. Her companion was awake as well, and even more wide-eyed than before. The man walked over to his wall of weapons, completely ignoring his hostages.

Riley leaned over to the petrified Maddy and whispered, "When I get up I want you to go back to the corner."

Maddy gave her a concerned look. "How do you expect to stand up in your state let alone stand up to him?"

"I'll manage," she grunted. It took her a minute of struggling before Riley finally muddled her way to her feet.

Maddy did as she was told and scooted a few yards back into her corner. She brought her knees up to her chest to make herself small, unimportant, invisible.

The man fingered a few tools before picking up a steel star hanging by itself. He palmed it and smiled to himself. He held it between his index finger and thumb; the ideal throwing position.

It felt like a bee sting; the worst bee sting of her life. The star lodged itself into her lower thigh. Riley collapsed from the pain. Her right leg went numb, her mouth hung open from shock; she didn't anticipate anything like this. Blood spurted from the openings around the star's edges. She sat on the ground clutching her thigh, trying to stop the bleeding and waiting for feeling to return.

The thrower walked over to his target and knelt down beside her. He wore a wide smile as he chuckled softly. He put one hand on the star and looked at Riley's face. "Tell me."

She shook her head no, her mouth still ajar.

The man pulled the star out like he was taking a number in a bakery. Riley snapped out of her shock and grunted in pain. The wound seeped blood; it ran down her leg and pooled on the floor. She felt the gash with her fingers; it was deep, it was so deep.

"Now do you have anything to say?"

Riley closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew he was going to do it again and she knew it was going to hurt worse than before but she couldn't tell him. She told herself she would die before she told him and she was going to stay true to her promise.

The star was plunged into her left thigh; farther than the first time. Blood oozed around the edges and spilled down the sides like before. Riley cried out but tried to contain herself the best she could. _Stay Strong. Stay strong for Maddy. _Riley knew Maddy was watching all of this. _Don't let her see you in pain. She will want to take it and we can't let that happen._

The man over-exaggerated a sigh. "Maybe I would get some better answers if I changed something." He looked over at Maddy, cowering in the corner.

Riley understood what he was about to do. "Don't… don't touch her." Riley murmured faintly; she was fading out of consciousness. The loss of blood was already starting to take effect. She lied down on her stomach and reached out toward him; like that would stop him.

"Riley!" Maddy called out.

_I can't help her! I can't save her! Come on Riley, do something! Do anything._Riley looked down at her leg. She found the energy to take action as adrenaline coursed through her body and an idea emerged in her mind.

"Watch out Maddy!" She yelled as she yanked the ninja star out of her leg and chucked it at her attacker.

It stuck to the back of his leg and he falls forward, catching himself with his hands. He turned to give Riley a look that would make her run if she could. Leaving the star in, he got up and limped over to Riley's body. The man bent down, picked Riley up by her jacket collar and threw her across the room. She skidded dangerously close to the furnace, missing it by inches.

The man chased her down, after finally removing the star and discarding it on the ground, and picked her up again. "If you weren't such an asset I'd gladly kill you right now." His finger nails dig into her skin and leave long scratches when as he released her across the room. She hit the wall sending pain through her back like electric shocks. He towered over her; the power was exhilarating for him. The powerful man put pressure on her shoulder and continued until she squealed.

He lifted his foot and walked away from her. _Don't hurt her too bad_, he thought to himself. _She still hasn't paid her dues._ He's laughing to himself when he hears a crashing noise from upstairs. He opened the steel door and took a few steps out into the hallway. Footsteps above tell him there's someone upstairs; multiple steps tell him there's a team; a team of agents looking for their friend.

The man began to panic, the footsteps were getting closer to the basement door. He ran back into the weapons room. Riley was watching his every move; she heard the movements upstairs too. She let herself smile, _I'm safe. _Relatively safe.

Dread and hysteria began to fuel the man. He didn't know what to do. _I didn't think they could find me. What do I do about my little prisoners? I can't take them with me, they'll just slow me down. I have to tie up loose ends. But, I can't kill Riley, she has what I need; answers. Let her live now, take her again later. Yeah, yeah that's perfect, but what about the other girl?_ He looked up and down the wall. A revolver. _Quick and easy, why not?_ He grabbed the gun, loaded it, shoved it in his pocket, and walked back out into the hallway.

There was loud banging on the basement door. _They're almost here, hurry up fool!_ He walked back into the room and aimed the gun at Maddy. Riley caught onto his plan as soon as he turned around.

"No!" She gathered all the energy she had left and leapt in front of Maddy.

Boom! The gun was smoking. Riley collapsed to the floor. The man and Maddy were aghast. A gaping, bloody hole was left in Riley's side. She gripped it with her hands to stop the bleeding. She lost too much already; she couldn't afford to lose anymore.

Crack! The basement door was kicked down just like the front door. A loud voice yelled, "F.B.I! Don't move!" The kidnapper saw a large muscular man make his way down the stairs with a gun of his own. The shooter dropped his gun and ran out a side hallway; his secret exit strategy was finally being put to the test.

Morgan ran down the stairs calling, "Guys! Down here!"

Reid was right behind; even closer than before. He was carrying his gun as well and a flashlight to accompany it. As Morgan was checking other rooms for the girls, Reid went straight down the hallway to the open door.

It was exactly what he didn't want to see. Riley was lying on the ground with her eyes closed, a bloody wound consumed her abdomen. Maddy was kneeling over her trying to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Tears were leaking from her eyes as she looked up at the newcomer.

"Morgan! Get in here!" he called putting his gun into its holster and the flashlight into his jacket pocket.

Reid sprinted to his fallen friend and knelt down beside her. He lightly patted her face to wake her up. "Riley. Oh, Riley please wake up. Wake up Riley!"

Her eyes opened slowly; she squinted and grimaced from the pain at first until she realized who was beside her, then she slapped a crooked smile on her face to disguise her immense pain. "Reid. Nice to see you man. Mind helping me up?" She raised her right hand and smiled almost cheerfully; like it was an ordinary thing, like she wasn't just tortured for days, like she wasn't about to die.

Pools of tears formed in his eyes. "Don't...don't get up Riley. Just stay there. We're going to call an ambulance for you, just stay; don't move. Don't move, O.K?" his words got caught in his throat. He moved her shirt away to look at the bullet hole. Blood was flowing out with every shallow breath she took.

Riley looked up at him with groggy-looking eyes. A thin stream of blood started to trickle from her mouth. She spit up blood as she lied through her teeth, "I'm O.K Reid. I'll be fine."

Morgan entered the room to hear Reid say, "I know you will be. I know you will be," as he stroked her hair with one hand, the other was placed over her wound, applying as much pressure as he safely could.

Morgan returned his gun to the holster and quickly came to kneel beside Reid. Riley's mouth was still dripping, her breathing became shallower, and her eyes began to close. Morgan touched her bruised face with the back of his fingers.

"Oh, hey Morgan. When did you get here?" she said, her mouth quirking up in a small smile, her eyes closed.

"Oh not too long ago," he replied gently.

Hotch popped into the room. "I called an ambulance, they'll be here soon."

"Soon isn't quick enough. They could be here anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes from now. We should get her up to the lawn, it will be easier for the paramedics to get her and go. Morgan, can you carry her?" Reid asked.

Morgan looked down at her. "I can try." He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her for comfort. Morgan put an arm under the crooks of her knees and the other around her shoulders. He was surprised by her weight as he lifted her body off of the floor.

Pain shot through the slashes along her back. Her knee throbbed as she was lifted. She grimaced and groaned in pain as he body was removed from the ground. Morgan pulled her close to his chest and relieved some weight from her injuries, allowing her a small sigh of relief when a fraction of the pain vanished. With limp arms that stayed on top of her elevated body, she rested her head against his vest. She coughed and blood splattered onto the F.B.I lettering. Morgan didn't care, he would rather get her out alive than have a clean vest. Riley kept her eyes shut as Morgan left the chamber. Hotch stayed behind to take care of Maddy. Reid followed behind them and talked to Riley to keep her awake. If she fell asleep, she could go into a coma, or worse.

"Stay awake Riley. Come on, talk to us," he started.

Keeping her eyes closed she said, "I don't know what to talk about. I'm getting tired, Reid."

"No, Riley, stay with us. Stay awake. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. What day is it?"

"It's Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon."

"What's the weather like outside?"

"What do you think its like?" he asked, trying to get her to talk more, keep her awake better.

"Well, I remember the weather report last week said it would be about 64 degrees and sunny in D.C. But, I have a feeling we aren't in D.C anymore so I have no idea. Maybe slightly sunny but a little colder, 52 degrees maybe." She started to fade toward the end of her speech. The words became whispers.

"I guess we will have to find out when we get out there. But in the meantime keep talking, come on, you can do it."

The group was climbing the basement stairs when Riley felt like she was forgetting something. Or someone. "Wait. Where's Maddy? I haven't heard her voice recently; it doesn't feel like she's near." Riley pounded on Morgan's vest, it felt like a toddler hitting a toy off the couch; weak. "Where is she? Is she O.K?"

"Don't worry she's coming. She's safe, Hotch is with her," Reid answered.

"Good, good," She whispered, Reid could barely hear her. Her breathing slowed even more; her chest barely moved with each breath.

Reid noticed her lack of activity. "Riley? Are you still with us Riley? Come on, stay awake Riley."

She coughs again and takes a large breath. "I…I had to jump in front of that bullet…"

Morgan reached the front door, or where it used to be, and stepped out into the sunshine."What are you talking about, Riley? Come on, keep talking," her carrier encouraged.

"I couldn't let her die. This was my fault, this was all my fault, she shouldn't have been here. He was going to kill her. I had to…I had to…" Riley took a few deep breaths. She was running out of time. "I had to take the bullet. I'm sorry."

Sirens sound in the background. The ambulance was getting closer. It's only a few minutes away, can Riley stand that much longer? Morgan stood in the middle of the lawn with Riley in his arms, desperately waiting for it to arrive.

Reid looked at her with a small sense of pride. She wouldn't let someone get hurt because of her mistakes. But at what cost will she have to pay for these mistakes? "It's alright Riley. We understand. She's safe and sound."

The ambulance pulled up alongside the road. Two paramedics got out of the back and ran toward the group with the stretcher. Morgan laid Riley down on the stretcher gently. The two paramedic men began to push her away to the ambulance when Riley spoke up, just loud enough to be heard, "Reid. Don't leave me."

He chased them down and grabbed her right hand. "I'm here, Riley. I won't leave."

The men got the stretcher into the ambulance and Reid jumped in before they closed the doors. Morgan watched the ambulance drive away. Riley's blood covered his arms, his shirt, and his vest. He rested his hands on top of his head, looked up, and sent a silent prayer.

Meanwhile in the ambulance, the men swiftly tending to the injured Riley. Reid was moved to the side so he wouldn't get in the way. One man put an oxygen mask on Riley's face while the other injected pain killers into her arm. The second man attached an IV to her arm as well.

"What's her name?" Reid realized one of the paramedics was speaking to him.

"Riley. Her name's Riley Walker."

"How old is she?"

"She's 14."

"Do you know if she's allergic to anything?"

"I have no idea."

The man continued his work; he and his partner added a mound of gauze and cloth to her bullet wound. Blood kept soaking into the materials, the men had never seen anything this bad before. They didn't think she would survive; but neither wanted to tell Reid this.

"We are almost to the hospital. Call for a surgeon," the paramedic who asked Reid the questions seemed to be in charge as he commanded the second man. The second in command did as he was told and affirmed there was a surgeon waiting. Reid moved to stand by Riley's head and stroked her hair back again. She was out cold, but Reid was determined to talk to her.

"Riley, if you can still hear me, I want you to know I'm here for you. I believe in you, Riley. Pull through this. I know you can. You're strong enough to pull through this, Riley. Prove it," he whispered- possibly- the final words she would ever hear.

The ambulance stopped and the paramedics jumped out of the vehicle with their patient. They ran through the open doors; leaving Reid alone in the ambulance. There was still blood on his hands from helping Riley, his dying friend. He looked down at them and stared at the dried, red matter. Reid brought them back down to his side as he walked out of the ambulance and found the entrance to the hospital to wait for her to come out of surgery, if she ever did.


	11. Chapter 10

Hello All! Next chapter is here! Note: I'm not a doctor or have much experience in the medical field so the medical information in this chapter is probably not exact. Also, there is a little religious mention so I'm sorry if it offends anyone's religious preferences. It's just a story so don't take the religious stuff to heart, please. Thank you! And thanks again for the follows, and favorites, and reviews! Keep it up!

* * *

An hour passed; the other agents joined Reid in the waiting room. They all sat down except Reid who nervously paced around the room. Another hour passed with no word about Riley. Reid took a seat and busied himself with shaking his leg. Morgan and the women bowed their heads. Hotch and Rossi watched their surroundings, trying to distract themselves as time passed.

The double doors swung open, surprising the agents. The surgeon walked out with his mask, apron, and gloves still on. Blood covered everything. Reid jumped out of his seat while everyone else got up more coolly.

The surgeon took his mask off before speaking. He takes his gloves off as he talks, "Well, we've done the best we can. Riley has been starved and dehydrated for almost a week; she now weighs 92 pounds; for a girl her height and age that is extremely underweight. She had 3rd degree burns on one calf; we have some ointment that can heal that up in a month or so; it will leave a scar but it won't cause her as much pain. Ummm, her left hand was crushed and broken so we repaired that as much as possible and put it in a cast. Her right knee was completely smashed and torn; we mended the muscles and the bones will heal-with the right amount of care and rest- in a few weeks. We stitched up the wounds on her thighs and her head. The lacerations on her back were tricky; we used an ointment on them, except for the extremely deep ones, we stitched those. Her entire back is wrapped up now. There were a lot of cuts and bruises that we either treated specially or let go.

"Now, the bullet wound; the bullet itself tore through her small intestine and lodged itself into her appendix. We removed her appendix to avoid infection and restored the small intestine as best as possible. It has stopped bleeding; everything stopped bleeding, for now. She's on a high dose of morphine as we speak. But she lost around half of the blood in her body; her heart could stop at any time. She may not make it through the night. She's in room 83 if you wish to see her."

"Thank you for your time," Hotchner said to the surgeon.

The surgeon nodded and went back through the double doors.

"I'm going to see her," Reid left before anyone could object or stop him- not that anyone would. They all followed him to Riley's room.

The door to Riley's room was open when Reid got there. He entered to see a pristine, bright white, hospital room. Riley was alone in the room, lying in the bed closest to the window. Reid walked across the room, pulled up a chair, and sat at her bedside. He heard the rhythmic beeping of her heartbeat on the monitor. He wondered how long it would last. Did she have enough fight left in her to make it through this? Reid grasped her right hand and bowed his head.

_Please God, don't take her. She means so much to me, to my team, to everyone who's ever met her. She has so much potential here. She's brilliant, strong, brave, and everything anyone could ever ask for in a person. She has such a bright future. I know you can give and take as you please, but, but I beg you not to take this one. Please._

The other agents gathered around her bedside as well. An hour passed and J.J and Prentiss began to nod off into sleep. They don't leave though; they wanted to see her pull through, they wanted to see her eyes again. Everyone hoped and prayed to see her awaken once more.

Beep. Beep…. Beep….Beep. The beeping of the monitor slowed. It beeped until the screeching of the flat line appeared on screen. Her heart stopped. Reid didn't let go of her hand, he couldn't lose her, not like this, not now. Tear drops splashed as they hit the linoleum floor. Reid was too devastated to do anything but stay bowed and cry silently to himself.

* * *

Light. Pure, white light surrounded Riley.

_Where am I? _She called out, "Reid?! Morgan?! Where am I?"

Only silence answered Riley. Fear gripped her heart. _Am I dead?_

"Yes," an omniscient voice replied.

"Who's there? How can you hear my thoughts?"

"We hear everything Riley," a woman's voice answered.

"Who…who are you?" she yelled tenatively. Something about that feminine voice sounded familiar to the girl.

Three figures emerged from the light. As they approached, Riley recognized them.

"Mom! Dad!" Riley rushed to them for a warm embrace while the third figure hung back. She stood back at arms length, smiling energetically- all her physical wounds gone- as the third figure walked up beside her parents. He was wearing a long, white robe with a rope tied loosely around the waist. He had shoulder length brown hair with a brown beard. His eyes were as gentle and comforting as a baby's blanket while His smile could light the world for eternity.

Riley stood, eyes wide in astonishment, "Jesus?"

"That's right my child, I am Jesus, son of God."

"So, that means I…I'm dead. This isn't a dream?"

"That is up to you. Your duty on Earth has not yet been satisfied. There is still much for you to accomplish. But, the world is full of evils. If you wish to stay here forever you may, you would be safe here. It's your decision."

Riley was torn inside. Stay here, safe from whatever the world could throw at her, with her parents? Her parents whom she missed oh so dearly. Or return and rejoin the team. She still had to tell them about God, she had to warn them and protect them. But by dying, she takes their secrets to her grave; doesn't that make them safe?

She looked to her parents,"What do I do? I can't decide for myself."

Her mother stepped forward and rested her hand upon Riley's cheek. "Do what is right. We will love you no matter what you choose. We have been watching and we couldn't be more proud of you, sweetie. If you choose to go, we'll miss you but we'll always be with you and us with you. Don't ever forget that."

A tear rolled down Riley's cheek. "I want to stay here with you but, but I need to help the team; they can stop Him once and for all." She looked to Jesus, "My job on Earth isn't over. I see that now. There's much more I need to do. I have to go on." Her gaze returned to her parents, "I'm sorry but I have to."

Her step-father stepped forward "Don't be sorry, Riley. We understand."

More tears streamed off Riley's chin. "I miss you guys so much. I want to stay but…but I can't." She hugged her parents one last time and started taking steps away from the crowd. She looked over her shoulder and began to lose sight of them when suddenly everything went black.

Someone whispered in her ear, "Good luck."

* * *

Reid felt a sudden pressure on his hands. It felt like Riley was squeezing back. _That's not possible, relax Spencer, you're imagining things. _

Beep. Beep. Beep. The flat line turned back into peaks and dips. Everyone looked up almost simultaneously at the monitor. A heart rhythm displayed itself on the screen. Reid squeezed her hand, testing with his hands what his eyes were seeing.

"Ouch dude you don't have to kill my hand. I'd like to keep one of my only working body parts still operating if you don't mind," Riley snapped, retracting her hand from Reid's killer grip. Her eyes opened with her mouth. Eyes that were as clear and blue as the ocean; they seemed to sparkle with new life.

Reid's jaw dropped as he saw her fully functioning and heard the monitor confirm what he saw. Everyone else's eyes shot to her as well; no one expected to hear her voice again. They were all happily stunned and awe struck into silence.

Riley felt self-conscious under the agents' unrelenting eyes.

"What? Why are you all staring at me?" she finally asked, unable to wait for one of them to speak.

"You, you stopped breathing. You, your heart stopped. You were legally dead for like five minutes," J.J informed her.

Riley smiled like it was a joke."Really? He said it would be like a dream. I assumed I was just sleeping…" She looked at the gaping faces around her and stopped smiling. A yawn spread across her face as her body grew tired simply from the effort of reviving itself.

Hotch cleared his throat, "We should leave and let you sleep. It looks like you could use the rest."

No one disagreed with him; she needed to sleep, she looked drained; and now the agents could rest easy knowing she was alive. J.J went to Riley's side, stroked her hair, smiled, and walked out. Rossi smiled and said, "Good to have you back, girl," before exiting. Hotch nodded, showed a hint of a rare smile, and left. Prentiss touched her arm, smiled, and followed the others. Morgan gripped her shoulder and smiled, "Glad you're back, Riley. He," pointed to Reid, "was going crazy looking for you." Morgan walked away smiling and shaking his head in disbelief. _How did she do it? _he repeated to himself over and over.

The lone agent looked down at Riley from the side of her bed. Tears formed in his eyes again. He coudn't stop them from spilling out and flowing over his cheeks. Like a dam finally bursting, the tears grew in quantity.

"I, I thought I l-lost you," he blubbered.

Seeing Reid like this, caused Riley's unshed tears to fall as well. She motioned- with her right arm- that she wanted Reid to come closer and give her a hug. He bent over and hugged her to the best of his ability- he hesitated for fear of putting too much pressure on her injuries. Riley wrapped her arms around him, pulled him in tight, and buried her head in his shoulder.

"You didn't. I'm here Reid, I'm here. I'm never leaving again, I promise," she cried into his shirt.

"I'll never let you go again," he countered. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him from taking you."

Riley pushed him away to hold him at shoulder length. Her face was tear-streaked, just like his. She looked him in the eyes as she spoke, "This wasn't your fault, Reid. This was my mistake; I, I can't explain it now but I can assure you this was my bad. There was nothing you could do," she paused to the backs of her fingers over his bruised cheek. "I'm sorry they hurt you." Another tear washed over her cheek.

Reid brushed his fingers over her bruised and cut face. He noticed the long scratches along her neck and cringed at the thought of how she acquired those. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you before he hurt you."

"You did save me, Reid. I'm alive and well because of you."

Reid had nothing to say back. He just smiled, stroked her hair, and leaned up to leave. Riley grabbed his arm and looked at him with big puppy dog eyes.

"Will you stay with me?" she begged. "I-I just want the company."

He smiled, "Of course I will." He sat down in the chair beside her bed and yawned.

They said their good-nights and Riley tilted her head and closed her eyes. Reid watched her for a few moments before he himself closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Riley opened her eyes after a moment's pause and smiled. She listened to the slow, steady sound of his breathing for a while and savored the feeling of being safe and sound again. Being alert, cautious, and scared for her life seemed like a memory to her- a memory that could still within reach. Her callous feelings formed during her imprisonment began to fade as she listened to Reid's breathing. She couldn't be happier as she fell asleep, safe in the hospital bed beside her friend who she risked her life to protect.


	12. Chapter 11

**So this is the second last chapter of this story. This chapter is mainly ramblings but leads up to the next and final chapter. So without further adieu, here it is!**

Short, quick breaths came from her lungs; Riley sat up in her bed gasping for breath. Her injuries reminded her where she was; she winced and clenched her fists in pain. _It was just a dream, Riley. You're alright. You're O.K._ She told herself. Her heart disagreed with her; it was beating louder than a drum. She tried to control it but the monitor went berserk.

"Shhh," she whispered to the monitor desperately. "You're going to wake him up!" She looked over at Reid; his eyes were still closed. Riley breathed a sigh of relief. She looked out the window to her right; it was still dark out. _Must be early morning._

Riley leaned back to lie down; everything went fine until her back hit the sheets. The gashes along her stern stung and burned as she put pressure down on them. A shriek escaped her mouth as the pain surprised her. Riley slapped her hand over her mouth hoping she didn't wake Reid. Just as her heart was slowing down it sped back up again with the slightest pain. If her squeal didn't wake him, the monitor would.

Reid stirred in his seat. Riley shut her eyes and tried not to smile. _Act asleep. Maybe he won't notice. _His eyes opened and they gazed at the still body beside him. It seemed asleep but his ears could hear the monitor going at 100 mph.

He smiled, "Riley, I know you're awake. Your heart doesn't lie."

Riley let a smirk spread across her face; she opened her crystal clear eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's fine. Why are you awake anyway? Can't you sleep? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, I-I just had a bad dream. It-it's nothing," she stammered.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really… It's alright now," she said more convincing than she felt. Before Reid could reply, her stomach growled like a lion.

"When was the last time you ate?"

Riley looked up towards the ceiling and answers, "Ummm, I don't know. Last Thursday I guess. He- he never fed me."

"The hospital hasn't fed you?"

"I've been unconscious basically since I got here. And why would they feed a girl who was about to die anyway?" She answered seriously. They figured she wouldn't make it through the night, why feed her?

Reid was disgruntled. "Well, you're not dead," he said as he gets up. "I'm going to go ask the nurse for something for you."

"Reid you really don't have to…"

"It's fine, it'll only take a couple minutes," he returned as he walked out of the room, leaving Riley alone for the first time. Her dream echoed through her thoughts. She was back in the man's basement. He was taking the whip to her back again, each lash stung worse than the last. She looked up and watched drops of blood trail down her arms as the too-tight cuffs suspending her from the ceiling bit into her skin. Riley looked to the corner of the room and saw her captor. _How can he be in front of me and behind me? He's everywhere. _She looked into his vicious eyes; they were pitch black- pure evil and spite coursed through his veins. The man moved closer to stand in front of her while the torture continued on her back.

He sneered in her face, "You will always be mine Riley. _Always. _I will get my way. Just ask your father." He paused to chuckle. "You won't be able to stay away from me. I will find you again."

"Leave me alone," she rejoinder angrily. She never wanted to see him every again, especially not in her dreams.

The man grinned and pointed his finger towards her abdomen. She looked down to see a red circle radiating from the side of her abdomen- the brand he seethed onto the side of her abdomen while she was in captivity. "This with always remind you."

"No. No. No," she whimpered as she watched it shine brighter and brighter like the headlights of an oncoming car.

"Riley!" she heard a voice but couldn't tell where it was coming from. Her body was being shaken but she didn't know why. Her name was called again.

Short, quick breaths came out of her lungs again as her eyes snapped open. Reid was standing over her with a worried expression on his face and a pudding cup in his hand.

"Why were you screaming 'No'?" he asked anxiously.

"I had the same bad dream…I- I must have fallen asleep again," she guessed. She didn't remember closing her eyes again. As she spoke, Riley moved her left hand over the hospital gown. It reaches the burnt spot and she felt it through the linen with her fingers. The rough bumps of the burn could be felt through the thin material of the gown. It stung slightly as her fingers pressed against it. _It will always be there. He will always be there…_

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? It might make it go away," Reid repeated, startling Riley from her thoughts.

"Yeah, it's alright," Riley answered his question the same way as before. Her hand moved away from the burn and returned to its position at her side.

"Alright." Reid was a little crest-fallen. He assumed her dream was about what happened over the past few days; he wanted to know what happened to her but asking her straight up about it now wouldn't be right. She probably didn't want to think about it; not this soon at least. _We are going to have to ask her sometime, _he thought to himself. _ We need to know why she was taken. But not now, it can wait._

"Here" He handed her the chocolate pudding cup. "The nurse recommended this. Since you haven't eaten in a while they have to start you back slow."

"These will be just fine." Riley smiled and took the cup and spoon. The taste of chocolate on her tongue was a hit with her taste buds and her stomach growled with anticipation. Something as simple as pudding never tasted so good before. The first spoonful fell into the bottomless pit of her stomach. It was followed by the rest of the cup until there were only smears left on the inside of the plastic container.

Reid watched her eat for a moment until something catches his eye. A pinkish spot was beginning to appear on Riley's blanket. The spot continued to grow in size until Reid finally realized what was happening.

"Riley, your bullet wound is bleeding," he said as he reached over her to move the blanket. She moved her hands out of the way and watched him. Her gown was soaked with blood and she hadn't even notice. _How did I not feel that?_ She asked herself.

As Riley watched the blood surge out of her side, flow off her body, and soak into the bed linens. Her head felt dizzy. Her vision blurs. _What, what's happening?_ Riley's eyelids felt like rocks over her eyes; she couldn't keep them open anymore. Her head couldn't stay up either; it fell back onto her pillow.

"Riley? Riley!" Reid called toher but she couldn't hear him; it felt like there are cotton balls in her ears. Riley slipped into an uneasy unconsciousness.

* * *

Shimmering incandescent light flooded through the window beside her. She squinted to protect her sensitive eyes. They adjusted to the light and opened fully to take in her surroundings- the steady beat of the monitor, the sterile room, and the agony of the wounds that covered her body. Reid, her faithful companion, was seated beside her, asleep. Riley smiled a little as she reached over to tap him on the arm

"Reid. Reid, wake up. Reeeeeeid," she whined.

He rubbed his hand over his face and opened his eyes to see Riley hitting his arm. He was a little caught off guard; he didn't expect her to be awake so soon. It had only been a few hours since she passed out.

"What are you doing up? Go back to sleep," he told her.

"I _just_ woke up! What happened to me? How long was I out?" Riley asked.

"You passed out. You were bleeding too much and your body was so exhausted the only thing it could do was shut down," he paused to yawn. "You've only been sleeping like five hours. You need your rest, go back to sleep Riley."

"But I'm not tired! I'm bored!" Riley exclaimed. She doesn't feel fatigue; just a little dizzy. She spent most of her time in captivity trying to sleep to recover, and now she was tired of it; she wanted to do something, _anything._

"Well go to sleep anyway," Reid said as he closed his eyes again and drifted back into a light sleep.

_This is no fun._ Riley gazed around the room, hoping she could find something to do._ Another bed…a curtain…a movable tray…. a T.V...wait, a T.V!_ She looked around to find the remote. On top of the T.V lay the remote; completely out of reach. _Great, just great. Now I have to get up._

Riley looked down at her legs and willed them to move. They burned with a passion as her injuries became alive again. She squinted and grimaced again. _Not going to get it that way._

A certain déjà vu registered in Riley's mind as her legs ached. It felt like she was forgetting something, something her injuries reminded her subconscious of. Her burnt calf? No. Her shattered knee? No. The deep gashes on her thighs. Yes. Riley remembered how she got them, where she got them, what happened to them, but most importantly- who was there when it happened. Realization hit Riley like a baseball bat hits the ball.

Riley screamed at the top of her lungs, "Maddy!"

Her blankets were thrown to the side as she willed her legs to move. "Come on! Go!" she yelled at them. Tears of frustration and anger drizzled down her cheeks. "Maddy! Where are you! Where…where is she?" She continued to attempt to move her legs but pain shot through them like lightening bolts.

Reid's eyes shot open as he heard Riley's screams. "Riley? What…what are you doing?"

"Maddy! Where is she!" Riley turned to Reid momentarily before looking to the door with despair.

"Hey, hey, Riley! Calm down! Riley, you need to calm down! You're going to hurt yourself screaming like this; you're working yourself up to much! Riley!" Reid put his hand on her arm to settle her but she pulled away.

"No! Where's Maddy! Is she okay? Where…where is she! I need to see her!" Tears continued to flow down her cheeks. _Where is she? Why isn't she here? Is she dead? Did I cause her death? Where is she?_

"Maddy," she sobbed, accepting she wouldn't be coming. Riley curled up in the bed, agitating the newly adjusted stitches on her abdomen, still repeating her friend's name in desperation.

Suddenly, the door to the hallway opened. Maddy stood in the doorway looking around the room for the person who called her, the person whose voice she hadn't heard in too many hours- too many agonizing hours full of wait.. The elder girl looked across the room to see Riley curled up in her bed, tears dripping down her cheeks. She rushed over to the weeping girl and touched her back. Riley's puffy face looked up at the girl beside her and recognized her instantly. She shifted up and threw her arms around Maddy, pulling her down to kneel beside the bed, and held onto her for dear life. Maddy returned the embrace as tears began to leak out of her eyes as well.

After a few moments, Maddy situated herself more comfortably sitting on the bed beside the younger. She held Riley close to her side as Riley supported her head against her warm companion. Her eyes closed and she starts to drift into an easy sleep as Reid watched from beside the pair.

* * *

**Thank you again for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews! Keep it up! Also, there will be a third Riley story and I hope to make it a little bit better than this one was so bear with me if you want to see some better Riley action! (I'll try to give her some more emotions in the next one and make it as realistic as possible for reading pleasure. :) )**


	13. Chapter 12

**Okay folks, here is the last chapter!**

* * *

Days passed and Riley was already showing signs of improvement. Her wounds were slowly but surely healing, her bullet hole didn't bleed anymore, and there was always an excited gleam in her eyes. A gleam of playfulness, of energy, a gleam of child-like innocence. Riley returned to the way she was before her kidnapping- happy. Maddy moved into the bed beside Riley and they enjoyed each other's company when someone wasn't visiting them. Of course, it's rarer not to have a visitor. Reid was always there checking up on Riley. Sometimes other agents came to visit with him, but more often than not he came alone. Maddy, seeing as her injuries were limited to starvation and dehydration, would be returning home, then back to college, in a few days.

One day, all of the agents came to visit and Riley understood immediately. They wanted to know more about her capture and captor. Each agent took a seat around Riley's bed, surrounding her like Fort Knox. Reid took the seat closest to her right side.

Riley sighed, "I know. I know. You want to know who took me. You want to know why he took me."

"Yes," Rossi answered straightforward. No one wondered how she knew; they weren't too concerned with that now.

The center of attention let out a longer sigh as she looked up at the ceiling, considering what to tell them. Her gaze fell to her hands and she contemplated more. _I can't tell them a play by play of my injuries; I don't want them to go through what I did. Should I tell them who He is? Yes. It's time. Better start at the beginning. _Another sigh and she was ready to tell her story; the story of Riley.

"It all started when I was about seven. I was at the library one day, I loved to go there, it was so close to my house that my parents would let me go alone…anyway while I was there this man came up to me and he told me stuff about my real dad…He basically just told me that the man I lived with wasn't my real father, and so I searched hard for my birth certificate and found that this man was telling me the truth. Why he cared about me so much back then I don't know. I was young and I just wanted someone to pay attention to me like any kid wants to.

"So from then on I would meet with him and we would talk; every time we met I would tell him stuff I learned, whether it was something in school or about the people around me. It's the one thing he always asked me, "what have you learned?" It was kind of a fun challenge to me, I liked showing someone that I was smart. Like I told you when we first met, I've been able to understand people since I can remember so when he asked me to show him what I could do, I didn't hesitate. I remember we were walking through the park when I was around nine years old and there was this lady walking toward us. Just by looking at her I could tell she was having troubles at home. Her husband abused her psychologically and physically, her kids resented her for being so weak in their eyes, and there was just no happiness in her life. He congratulated me on a job well done, I accepted his praise, and then I didn't see him again for a few days. 'Bout a week later I was looking at the paper and I saw the same lady's picture- in the obituaries section. It said that she shot herself in the head with a silencer one night while her family was away. It felt like a coincidence at the time and I didn't think much of it; at least not until I discovered what this man really does. He…he takes people's weaknesses and, and," she clenched her fists and shook her head as she continued, "uses them to murder innocent people.

"Then, when my parents were killed I…I was so thrown off and when you brought my real dad in to interrogate my world just…crashed. I didn't know what to think; I didn't understand why my dad would do this to me. But when I heard him mention 'God' in that interrogation room, everything started to click, and when I went in to talk to him all the links felt reassured. Whenever my father and I were talking about 'God' we were referring to this man. He makes his…I guess you can say followers…that's a little extreme, but he thinks of himself as an all-knowing, superior person because of all he thinks he knows; he makes us refer to him as 'God' it gives him a power and position over us.

"But since I moved here with you guys I haven't seen him," Riley stopped to think. "You see…he-he had this all planned out." She closed her eyes; she couldn't bear to look at the agents as she told them her biggest secret, her largest flaw. "I-I don't know how but he planned it that you would be the group of agents to investigate my parents' death. He designed it that I would want to come back to D.C with you guys. He- he," her voice got caught in her throat. A few tears rolled out of her closed eyes.

"He wanted me to get information on each of you like I did with the woman in the park. Everything that has happened to me is because this man wanted to know…he wanted to know your weaknesses. That's why he kidnaped me. I wouldn't go see him on my own to inform him so he took me and tortured me to find out. But, I wouldn't tell him. I…I couldn't tell him. I denied knowledge for so long, until I just started replying 'No' and 'I won't tell you.' I promised myself I would take these secrets to the grave if it came to that. And it almost did. I pledged to him that I would rather die loyal to you guys than live loyal to him and I meant it with every fiber of my being because I couldn't do that to you. You guys are like my family; you're better than any family or friendship this man could ever offer and I am eternally grateful for everything you've done for me.

"I-I'm not going to tell you what all happened to me there. I don't want to put you guys through what I went through; I'm sure you can assume from my injuries what happened. All you need to know is that he didn't get what he wanted. I'm safe, Maddy over there is safe, and all of you are safe." More tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she reflected aloud, "I'm just so sorry I came here with you guys and I'm sorry if you feel like I tricked you. I never wanted to know all of this stuff, it just comes to me like everyone else's does. I'm sorry I've put all of your lives at risk like this, I want you to know I never intended to…"

Her voice faded as she finished; she didn't know what else could possibly be said. There were no words to describe how apologetic she was for having put these agents in this position. This was all her fault, she never thought her situation could go this far. _They probably hate me. If I were them, I would hate me. S_he thought as she kept her eyes closed to her visitors for fear of seeing their disappointed and disapproving looks.

"Riley. Open your eyes. It's alright," J.J spoke softly to her as she grabbed her hand.

Riley shook her head in return. "I'm sure you're all angry at me. I don't want to see that."

"Why would we be angry?" J.J asked just as gently as before.

"I made a deal with him to tell him everything I know. That would include everything I know about you guys. I…I…"

"But you didn't tell him anything," Morgan countered. "You kept everything you know about us to yourself. You won Riley. You beat him this time."

More tears flowed from her eyes as an image in her mind countered Morgan's words. She shook her head, "No. No. He still won." Without opening her eyes, Riley moved her shirt away to show them the brand that he placed on her side. The auburn, scabby letters G.O.D stick out against her pale skin. Riley's fingers brushed against the now-familiar surface.

"He still won. He claimed me as his own. It's like I'm not even me anymore…"

Reid spoke for the first time, "Just because he left a mark on you, doesn't mean you belong to him. You-you don't have to follow him anymore. You are still your own person." He reached over to pull her shirt down and cover the mark. "This does not have to define you, Riley."

Her eyes opened to reveal fair sapphires fashioned from her tears. They showed hope and despair, wonder and knowledge, secrecy and trust. They were a window into her emotions- indecisive. She didn't know how to feel after explaining all of this to her peers. Are her fears of their hatred real or just an illusion of her mind?

"Why-why aren't you angry with me? I-I almost gave up your weaknesses to a man who wouldn't hesitate to use them," she asked.

"But you didn't tell him, Riley. You sacrificed yourself for us. You almost died, permanently, to protect us," Rossi reasoned.

"Yeah….I-I guess." She blushed. She expected them to think she was a terrible person, not a hero.

"Riley, you never mentioned the man's real name. You just described him as 'God'." Prentiss started.

"I don't know his real name. No one does. He makes everyone refer to him as God."

"Who's 'everyone'?" Reid posed another question.

"All the people that follow him. People like…like me. People who give him information or do things for him. I'm not the only one. My real dad was one too. I don't know all he has following him…"

"What else can you tell us about this man? Do you know where he lives or anything like that?" Hotch asked.

"I honestly know almost nothing about him. I've only ever met him in public places so I never saw where he lived. He never gave away little tells either- I couldn't get a good read on him like I can other people. I…I can give you a sketch of him. He didn't cover his face when he captured me."

"Good, we'll get a sketch artist in here whenever we can. Now, do you think he will try to find you again?"

Riley shrugged. "Yeah, if he thinks I'm still alive. He probably thinks I'm dead right now though. He saw me get shot and go down, I don't know if he knows I'm alive or not. I'm sure he will find out one way or the other to find me though, so yes, I do think he will try again….Or maybe he's moved on to someone else. Like I said, he has other followers, he might be keeping up with them. But regardless of if he moved on or not, I don't want him to stop me from doing normal things. I won't t let him ruin the rest of my life."

Riley felt like a great load was lifted off her chest. She could be her own person now. She didn't have to worry about gathering information for him. She wasn't afraid of him anymore; she had a lot to lose but a lot to gain as well. The more she recovered, the more she forgot him. The happier she got, the freer she felt. The man did leave a lasting mark on her, but it didn't define her, Riley saw that now. Scars show us where we've been, they don't show us where we will go. He didn't take her life. There was one thing she needed to be her own person, a second chance and she got it. Riley lived to see another day. Her duty will be fulfilled.

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**Thank you all for reading this story! Sorry for any inaccuracies or inconsistencies throughout, I hope to make the next one better! If you enjoyed this one of the first Riley story, I am currently working on starting a third. The third story is up and goes by the name "Promises." So if you're interested be sure to check it out! Again thank you for sticking with this story so long and all of the favorites, follows, and reviews!**


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